LORE™ 


1  x 


u- 


IBRARY 


THE  UNIVERSITY 


OF  CAL IFORNIA 


LOSANGE   ES 


LORETTO;   OR,  THE  CHOICE. 


BY  GEORGE  H.  MILES. 


&  Keiu,  Eebisefc,  anti  Enlarged  Edition. 


BOSTON: 
THOMAS  B.   XOONAN  &   CO. 

17,  19,  AND  21   BOYLSTON   STBEET. 

1883. 


LORETTO ; 

OR,    THE    CHOICE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

HERE  once  was  —  where  many  may 
still  remember  —  a  neat  farmhouse,  not 
large,  but  tastefully  built,  with  dormer 
Avindows  projecting  from  the  high,  sharp  roof 
and  a  double  portico  running  around  it.  It  was 
a  venerable  house,  rather  emblematic  of  comfort 
than  affluence,  beautifully  situated  on  the  cleared 
slope  of  a  well-wooded  hill.  In  winter  it  was 
somewhat  dreary  to  those  who  passed  and  knew 
not  the  fireside  joys  within ;  but  in  summer  the 
birds  and  the  flowers,  the  vines  and  honeysuckles, 
peopled  with  busy  bees  and  festooning  the 
porches,  the  rich  herbage  rolling  over  the  fertile 
plain,  until,  changing  color  in  the  distance,  it 
grew  blue  as  the  vault  it  seemed  to  kiss,  the  elms, 
the  oaks,  and  the  maples,  all  united  to  make 
Loretto  —  for  so  it  was  called  —  a  little  Eden. 


4  LOEETTO  J    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

A  clear,  quick  trout-stream  ran  through  the 
lawn  to  the  north,  giving  that  fine  finish  to  the 
landscape  which  running  water  only  can  im 
part.  In  the  misty  spring  mornings  at  break  of 
day  you  could  always  see,  looming  through  the 
fog  along  this  stream,  an  elderly  man,  with  a 
broad  felt  hat  drawn  over  his  cheeks  to  keep' 
off  the  flies,  dressed  in  a  close-bodied  gray  coat 
and  breeches  of  permanent  pepper  and  salt. 
He  was  tall  and  portly,  and  though  not  abso 
lutely  lame,  there  was  a  decided  halt  in  his  gait, 
injuring  its  grace,  perhaps,  but  sparing  its  dig 
nity.  There  he  could  always  be  found  during 
the  choicest  hours  of  the  legitimate  season,  with 
his  rod  fast  in  hand  and  all  his  tackle  around 
him,  fishing  away  with  so  much  temper  and  so 
little  skill  that  rare,  indeed,  was  it  when  the 
proprietor  of  Loretto  breakfasted  on  trout  of  his 
own  catching. 

But  the  Colonel  never  angled  alone;  in  spite 
of  old  Isaac  he  was  far  too  wise  for  that.  A 
bright-faced  mulatto  boy  named  Charley  wras  his 
inseparable  companion  in  all  these  matinal  excur 
sions.  From  his  own  intuitive  sagacity  of  inter 
nal  organization,  and  from  careful  study  of  his 
master's  mistakes,  Charley  had  become  an  expert 
in  the  art  in  which  his  preceptor  remained  a 
bungler.  Whilst  the  Colonel  bustled  about  to 


LOEETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  5 

the  mortal  terror  of  every  fish  within  twenty 
yards  of  his  fly,  Charley,  breathless  in  the  bushes, 
patiently  cast  his  wriggling  earthworm  and  drew 
out  with  a  quiet  smile  the  unsuspecting  victims 
that  dreaded  the  more  tempting  bait. 

The  Colonel  was  never  jealous.  So  completely 
had  he  merged  Charley's  individuality  in  his 
own,  that  the  idea  of  Charley's  having  caught  a 
fish  never  entered  into  his  speculations  —  it  was 
perfectly  ridiculous.  Why,  Charley  belonged  to 
him  quite  as  much  as  his  own  hair  line  —  and 
what  mattered  it  whether  he  used  his  tapering 
English  tube,  or  his  less  elastic  black  boy  as  a 
rod  —  for  Charley  was  but  a  rod  in  the  case 
—  all  the  difference  being  that  one  was  of  foreign, 
the  other  of  native  origin.  Over  and  over  again, 
when  not  a  trout  had  twirled  his  reel,  and  when 
a  dozen  noble  prisoners  floundered  in  the  tin- 
pan  at  the  little  fellow's  heels,  would  the  Colonel, 
eyeing  the  speckled  beauties  as  their  clear  scales 
glittered  in  the  sun,  exclaim,  "Ah,  you  little 
rogues,  you  could  not  escape  me  !  "  And  so 
firmly  was  the  Colonel  persuaded  of  this  that 
to  all  the  juries  in  the  county  he  would  have 
sworn  that  he  had  caught  those  fish.  This  was 
one  of  the  Colonel's  eccentricities  —  failing  would 
be  too  hard  a  name  for  his  innocent  and  confirmed 
delusion ;  and  so  fervently  did  he  believe  it  that 


6  LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

Charley  himself  was  to  the  full  as  certain  of  the 
proposition  as  his  master,  and  would  have  re 
sented  any  insinuation  of  the  truth  as  a  most 
unfounded  calumny. 

Through  all  the  country  round  the  proprietor 
of  Loretto  was  a  favorite;  men,  women,  and 
children  celebrated  the  purity  and  benevolence 
of  his  character,  and,  as  is  frequently  done, 
magnified  even  his  peculiarities  into  virtues. 
At  wedding,  christening,  and  wake  he  was  the 
principal  man  in  all  the  neighborhood;  in  all 
matters  of  etiquette  an  oracle.  If  any  doubtful 
point  of  precedence  occurred,  if  any  knotty 
question  of  honor  arose,  if  any  nice  shade  of 
interest  was  to  be  decided,  on  which  the  doubt 
ful  light  of  the  law  was  unsolicited,  —  the  Colonel 
was  sure  to  be  invoked ;  and  he  gave  his  re 
sponses  forth  with  so  much  sagacity,  sincerity, 
and  pointed  brevity,  that  his  reputation  rose 
with  every  decision,  and  he  stood  arbitrator  par 
excellence  for  the  country.  Even  his  title,  the 
Colonel,  was  a  mark  rather  of  love  and  honor 
than  of  any  military  service,  past  or  present. 
True  it  was  that  in  the  late  war  he  had  been 
captain  of  a  company,  and  that  his  knee  had 
been  stiffened  by  an  enemy's  ball,  —  but  this 
had  happened  long  ago,  and  his  gallantry,  though 
noticed  in  the  prints  of  the  day,  was  all  unchron- 
icled  in  history. 


LORETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE.  7 

The  Colonel  Avas  a  bachelor  —  but  he  did  not 
live  alone  ;  his  sister  Mary  divided  with  him  the 
empire  of  Loretto.  Mrs.  Cleveland  was  under 
fifty  —  some  ten  years. younger  than  her  brother. 
She  was  a  shade  over  the  medium  size  of  woman 
—  rather  slightly  made,  and  her  shoulders  curved 
a  little  forward  by  weakness  or  care.  Her  hair, 
which  she  wore  drawn  straight  from  her  forehead 
behind,  her  ear,  was  in  blended  lines  of  black 
and  white  ;  her  eye  was  large,  calm,  and  clear,  — 
the  expression  of  her  face  habitually  sad  and 
reserved.  There  were  lines  of  thought  and 
determination  about  her  mouth,  but  smoothed 
and  softened  as  if  the  hand  of  resignation  had 
touched  them.  She  had  the  true  mother-look  in 
which  infant  innocence  first  reposes,  and  which 
manly  virtue  most  reveres.  Her  brother  loved 
her  more  than  his  life,  and  well  was  his  love 
returned.  She  knew  how  to  ward  off  his 
occasional  fits  of  petulance,  and  how  to  meet 
them,  when,  in  spite  of  her,  they  came  in  moment 
ary  gustiness.  Loretto  was  a  happy  house,  and 
especially  happy  when  the  third  and  last  of  the 
family  left  the  convent  school,  whose  small  spire 
just  rose  above  the  neighboring  woods,  —  when 
she  left  the  good  sisters  and  young  friends  with 
whom  her  youth  had  gone  by  like  a  sweet,  sweet 
dream,  to  join  her  own  family  circle  and  spend 


8  LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

the  year  —  the  whole  year —  winter  and  summer, 
ay,  life  itself,  so  it  seemed,  at  Loretto. 

Agnes  Cleveland  had  just  completed  her 
studies  at  the  convent,  —  she  had  gone  through 
the  prescribed  course  brilliantly  and  well, — she 
had  stayed  even  a  year  beyond  the  required 
time  —  and  now  there  was  nothing  more  to  be 
learned,  nothing  more  to  be  gained  by  remaining. 
At  least,  so  thought  the  world  and  the  Colonel. 

She  left  school  in  the  bright  month  of  July, 
with  the  blessing  of  all  who  knew  her,  with  her 
tears  falling  fast  on  the  load  of  honors  she  held 
with  difficulty  in  both  arms.  She  had  always 
left  before  at  the  same  season  to  spend  the 
summer  at  home:  but  then  it  was  different, — 
then  it  was  only  for  a  short  vacation  —  then  the 
future  was  to  be  but  a  repetition  of  the  past,  filled 
with  the  same  well-known  faces,  endeared  by 
the  same  innocent  pastimes,  hallowed  by  the 
same  tranquil  pursuits,  and  sanctified  by  the 
same  long  sweet  prayers  —  by  Mass  in  the  morn 
ing,  by  Angelus  at  noon,  by  Litany  at  night. 
At  first  she  did  not  feel  the  change  so  keenly. 
It  was  impossible  to  realize  that  there  was  no 
return  to  the  convent  —  that  her  desk  was  to 
have  another  occupant,  her  flower-bed  another 
mistress ;  but  when  the  summer  melted  into 
gorgeous  autumn,  and  she  still  remained  at 


LOEETTO  J    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  9 

Loretto,  when  she  felt  that  her  heart  was  to  be 
changed  before  she  could  forget  the  girl  and 
become  a  woman,  her  tears  were  less  frequent, 
indeed,  but  far  more  painful. 

She  endeavored  to  conceal  her  sadness  from 
her  mother  and  uncle,  but  it  was  too  plain.  It 
puzzled  and  annoyed  the  Colonel  —  she  had 
always  been  so  cheerful,  so  free  from  all  the 
melancholy  of  thought,  though  thoughtful  too. 
He  never  inquired  the  cause,  but  his  conjectures 
were  multitudinous  and  incessant. 

It  was  a  bright  winter  afternoon — the  snow 
was  lying  deep  and  well-beaten  over  the  road, 
just  hardening  after  the  midday  thaw,  as  the 
sun  went  down  without  a  cloud  about  him. 
Agnes  had  returned  with  her  mother  from  ves 
pers  at  the  convent  chapel.  They  were  sitting 
silently  in  the  twilight  before  the  generous  wood- 
fire  that  kept  the  parlor  bright  and  warm.  The 
Colonel  had  gone  to  take  an  airing  on  horseback, 
as  he  phrased  it,  which,  in  other  words,  was  a 
visit  of  benediction  to  the  poor. 

Formany  minutes  they  sat,  each  steadily  gaz 
ing  into  the  fire,  which  sparkled  and  crackled  as 
though  it  loved  and  welcomed  them. 

"  Agnes,"  said  Mrs.  Cleveland  at  last,  without 

O  *  ' 

raising  her  eyes,  "  you  must  be  unhappy." 

There  was  a  long  pause,  and  the  fire  burned 


10  LORETTO;   OR,   THE   CHOICE. 

loudly,  and  the  sigh  of  the  wind  was  plainly 
heard  from  without. 

"  Are  you  not?"  asked  the  mother,  for  the 
first  time  hazarding  a  look  at  her  daughter. 

Agnes  was  leaning  back  in  her  chair ;  her  head 
thrown  forward  almost  on  her  breast ;  her  hands 
clasped  and  resting  between  her  knees,  her  tears 
glancing  down  her  cheeks. 

"  Are  you  not  ?  "  repeated  Mrs.  Cleveland, 
touching  her  straightened  arms. 

The  touch  was  electric.  Without  a  word, 
the  young  girl  rose  and  cast  herself  on  her 
mother's  bosom. 

"  I  am !  I  am  ! "  she  sobbed  again  and  again. 
"  Oh,  mother ! "  she  said,  "  I  love  you,  and  yet 
I  wish  to  leave  you  —  I  must  leave  you !  "  she 
added  with  more  energy,  kissing  her  parent's 
pale  forehead  as  she  spoke. 

"  Leave  me  for  what,  Agnes  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Cleve 
land,  smoothing  her  daughter's  hair,  which  had 
fallen  loose  in  her  agitation. 

"  For  the  convent !  " 

Louder  and  louder  burned  the  fire,  and  louder 
was  the  sigh  of  the  wind  without. 

Mrs.  Cleveland  was  not  unprepared  for  this ; 
she  had  long  since  read  her  daughter's  heart. 
The  habitual  half-smile  of  quiet  resignation 
played  around  her  lips.  Agnes  was  surprised 
at  her  calmness. 


LORETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE.  11 

"  And  you  would  really  leave  me  then,  my 
child  ? "  resumed  the  mother,  tenderly  pressing 
the  small  hand  she  had  taken  in  hers. 

"  Leave  you  for  God  alone ! "  said  Agnes, 
"for  God  alone,  mother.  Do  not  think  me 
insensible  to  all  your  goodness ;  do  not  doubt 
my  love  —  you  cannot,  you  do  not  doubt  it!  I 
have  been  unhappy  because  I  dreaded  your  oppo 
sition,  and  knew  the  trial  I  was  preparing  for 
you  ;  unhappy,  because  I  was  resisting  an  impulse 
which  I  recognized  as  from  Heaven,  and  which, 
in  spite  of  every  human  obstacle,  I  must  obey!" 

Mrs.  Cleveland  was  still  unmoved,  or  if  there 
was  any  change  it  was  only  in  her  clear  eye,  in 
which  the  unshed  tear  hung  and  trembled  ;  only 
in  the  slight  movement  of  her  lips,  playing  with 
a  happier  smile.  "  Have  you  spoken  to  your 
confessor  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  have. " 

"And"— 

"  He  cautioned  me  against  obeying  an  impulse 
which  might  only  be  transient;  advising  me  to 
consider  it  more  maturely." 

"And  I,  my  daughter,  repeat  his  advice. 
Think  not  of  me  in  your  decision,  but  of  your 
own  immortal  soul,  of  Him  who  will  one  day 
judge  it,  and  of  your  spotless  Mother,  who  sits  in 
heaven  exalted  above  the  angels.  Please  her, 


12  LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

and  you  will  not  fail  to  please  me.  You  are 
young,  and  a  few  months  in  society  may  under 
mine  your  purpose.  But,  my  own  Agnes,  you 
must  be  happy  now  —  you  have  not  pained  me, 
nor  can  you  ever  pain  me,  my  child,  so  long  as 
you  hold  the  call  of  God  your  first  duty." 

"  Yes  mother,  I  will  be  happy  now ;  it  will 
not  cost  an  effort." 

"  God  bless  you  ! "  Mrs.  Cleveland  held  her 
daughter  closer  to  her  heart,  and  Colonel  Clev- 
erton  entered  the  room. 

"A  quarrel  and  a  reconciliation,  I  take  it, 
ladies,"  he  said,  as  he  threw  an  enoi-mous  overcoat 
into  a  corner  and  took  off  his  spurs.  "  Whew  ! 
this  hill's  as  cold  as  an  iceberg,  and  would  freeze 
a  polar  bear,  but  for  a  friend  like  this,"  and  he 
thrust  both  hands  into  the  cheerful  blaze  that 
rose  joyously  to  hail  his  coming.  But  though 
apparently  unobservant,  the  Colonel  had  his  eyes 
about  him,  and  saw  that  he  was  just  in  at  the 
close  of  a  scene. 

At  tea  he  was  struck  with  the  altered  manner 
of  his  niece.  Her  eyes  would  swim  at  times,  but 
there  was  a  world  of  joy  in  her  face  —  of  calm, 
deep,  holy  joy,  joy  that  made  him  wonder. 

After  the  cloth  was  removed,  she  lit  his  cigar 
with  a  smile  such  as  he  had  not  seen  for  many  a 
day.  She  played  backgammon  with  him  until 


LORETTO;    OB,    THE    CHOICE.  13 

after  nine,  and,  in  the  excitement  of  the  game,  her 
eyes  glittered,  her  laugh  rang,  and  she  shook  her 
hair  from  her  temples  as  joyously  as  when  he 
held  her  on  his  knee  and  gave  her  sweet  things 

~  O 

to  win  her  love.  And  when  the  old  mahogany 
clock  struck  ten,  and  she  presented  on  one  knee 
a  brimming  mug  of  brown  October,  — 

"  Agnes,"  said  he,  as  the  creaming  ale  touched 
his  mouth,  "  thank  God !  you  are  yourself 
again." 

Before  the  tankard  descended,  Agnes  had  left 
the  room. 

"Mary,"  began  the  old  man,  looking  stead 
fastly  at  his  sister,  "  is  that  young  girl  in  love 
with  any  one  but  me?" 

"  Not  that  I  am  aware  of." 

"You  have  had  a  conversation  with  her,"  he 
continued,  with  the  air  of  one  who  defies  contra 
diction. 

"  I  have." 

"  And  you  discovered  the  secret  of  her  unhap- 
piness?" 

«  Yes ! " 

"  May  I  know  it  ?  "  —  this  almost  amounted  to 
a  challenge. 

"  Yes,  brother,  you  had  better  know  it  at  once. 
Agnes  wishes  to.  return  to  the  convent." 

The  Colonel  shuddered. 


14  LORETTO;   OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  To  spend  another  year  there  ?  " 

"  To  spend  her  life  there !  " 

"As  a  nun?" 

"Yes!" 

"  Good  God  ! "  thundered  the  Colonel,  bound 
ing  from  his  chair  and  knocking  his  stick  with 
terrible  emphasis  against  the  floor.  "  Agnes  a 
nun !  And  you  permit  it,  sister ! "  The  old 
man  paced  rapidly  up  and  down  the  room, 
whilst  the  perspiration  gathered  in  large  drops 
on  his  forehead.  "  You  permit  it !  and  sit  there 
as  contentedly  as  if  she  were  going  to  a  ball  — 
and  speak  of  it  calmly  —  speak  of  it  to  me  calmly 
—  as  if  I  had  no  heart  —  as  if  I  could  see  the 
immolation  of  one  of  God's  fairest  creatures 
without  a  tear.  Why,  it  would  make  me  weep 
to  chain  up  one  of  my  hounds  for  life  —  but 
this  young  flower,  this  Agnes  —  madam,  you  are 
a  stone ! " 

Mrs.  Cleveland  was  silent. 

"  Oh,  I  did  not  think  it  of  her  ! "  muttered  the 
Colonel,  in  vain  attempting  to  arrest  his  tears, 
"I  did  not  think  it  of  her.  To  leave  her  old 
uncle  —  I  who  have  loved  her  —  loved  her  as 
age  alone  can  love  youth  —  I  who  have  made 
myself  a  boy  for  her  these  fifteen  years  —  to 
leave  her  old-  uncle  —  oh,  this  is  bad  enough ! 
But  to  leave  her  mother  "  — 


LORETTO;    OE,    THE    CHOICE.  j5 

He  stopped  short  and  turned  upon  his  sister 
with  flashing  eye  and  heaving  breast :  — 

"  Mary ;  is  she  not  your  child ;  your  own, 
your  only  child,  bone  of  your  bone,  flesh  of 
your  flesh ;  has  she  not  your  own  image  stamped 
xipon  her  face ;  are  you  not  a  mother,  and  can  you 
calmly  see  her  cut  down  in  her  youth,  her  hopes 
and  beauty  blasted ;  can  you  calmly  see  her 
walking,  a  willing  fanatic,  into  a  dreary,  lonely 
dungeon?  Tell  me,  sister,  can  you  see  the 
axe  descending  on  her  neck,  and  smile  like 
an  Indian  executioner?  Tell  me!  —  there  is  the 
same  blood  in  our  veins !  "  — 

"But  not  the  same  faith  in  our  hearts." 

"  And  you  consent,  then  ? "  stammered  the 
Colonel,  pale  with  passion. 

"I  do,  brother,  and  hear  me.  There's  noth 
ing  under  Heaven  so  dear  to  me  as  Agnes.  I 
lived  for  her  when  I  Avould  have  died  without 
her.  I  have  nothing  else  on  earth  to  love,  save 
you,  brother,  save  you,  my  best  and  first  friend  ! 
But,  if  I  find  that  I  have  nursed  her  for  God 
and  not  for  man,  for  the  cloister  and  not  for  the 
cold,  indecent,  hollow-hearted  ball-room,  I  tell 
you,  brother,  there's  not  a  mother  living,  be  she 
slave  or  be  she  queen,  who  will  be  as  proud,  as 
happy,  as  thankful  as  I." 

"  Ah !  you  are  leagued  to  kill  me.     Strike.     I 


16  LORETTO;    OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

can  bear  no  more ! "  He  sank  back  in  his 
chair. 

"  Did  woman  ever  marry  with  a  fairer  chance 
of  happiness  than  I?  exclaimed  Mrs.  Cleveland, 
rising  to  her  full  height,  whilst  her  face  glowed. 
"  Oh,  I  looked  forward  to  a  future  such  as  few 
can  fancy ;  and  when  I  thought  it  in  my  reach, 
it  turned  to  burning  sand." 

"  There  are  few  such  villains  as  "  — 

"  Hush  !  Man  is  too  corrupt  to  be  judged  by 
his  fellows.  We  need  a  more  merciful  tribunal," 
and  she  pointed  above. 

The  Colonel  paused  a  moment,  then  changed 
his  tactics.  "  But  this  young  creature,  scarcely 
twenty,  knows  not  her  own  mind  ;  and  I  know 
of  nothing  more  dangerous,  more  treacherous, 
more  outrageously  abominable,  than  to  wrest 
this  momentary  inclination  to  her  own  destruc 
tion  before  she  has  time" — 

"  She  shall  have  time  !  " 

"How  long?" 

"  One  year." 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  17 


CHAPTER  II. 

XE  year !  "  muttered  the  Colonel  to  him 
self,  after  Mrs.  Cleveland  had  retired, 
drawing  his  capacious  arm-chair  closer 
to  the  fire  as  he  spoke.  His  tears  had  dried,  his 
face  had  cleared  up,  and  presently  his  eye  began 
to  twinkle  with  a  sly  expression,  as  if  some 
bright  idea  had  suddenly  crossed  his  mind. 

"  One  year,  eh  ?  "  he  repeated  audibly,  smooth 
ing  his  thin  white  hair  ;  then,  emptying  the  mug 
of  ale  mechanically,  he  threw  his  feet  heavily 
upon  the  fender,  rubbed  his  hands  until  they 
tingled,  and  chuckled,  "  I  have  it !  I  have  it !  " 

The  Colonel  rose  with  that  confident  slowness 
with  which  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school  leaves 
the  table,  in  the  inspiration  of  the  moment,  to 
bring  forth  with  his  own  hand  his  best  bottle 
for  his  best  friend.  He  opened  the  front  door 
cautiously  and  stepped  tiptoe  on  the  portico. 
He  paused  a  moment ;  it  was  a  clear  winter 
night,  the  frost  had  polished  the  stars,  and  their 
rays  surrounded  them  like  long  eyelashes  of 
gold.  The  cold  wind  refreshed  him,  and  he 
drank  it  in  like  water. 

"  Oh,  my  dear  little  pet,"  he  thought,  "  they 
shall  never  coop  you  up  here  from  the  sight  of 


18  LORETTO  ;   OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

those  blessed  fields,  among  which  you  will  ramble 
hereafter !  " 

Then  for  the  first  time  feeling  that  it  was 
freezing  hard,  he  crept  on  tiptoe  to  the  door  of 
a  small  room  opening  on  the  porch. 

"  Charley  !  "  he  Avhispered  shrilly  through  the 
keyhole.  In  an  instant  came  the  answer,  "  Sir  !  " 
A  turn,  a  sigh,  a  shake  ;  the  door  was  unbolted, 
and  the  little  fellow's  curly  head  appeared. 

"  Charley !  dress  warm,  saddle  Fleetly  for  your 
self,  and  come  into  the  parlor.  Do  it  quietly." 

The  sagacious  boy  nodded,  and  the  Colonel 
hobbled  back.  He  took  his  immense  writing- 
desk  from  its  time-honored  green  bag,  unlocked 
it  carefully,  and  selecting  a  quill,  mended  a  pen 
with  infinite  pains. 

Charley  reappeared  before  the  old  gentleman 
had  finished  writing,  and  without  saying  a  word, 
stood  by  the  door. 

"  Get  closer  to  the  fire,  my  boy,  closer  ;  warm 
up  well,"  ejaculated  the  Colonel,  looking  to  see 
that  his  commands  were  obeyed. 

"  There  !  "  he  continued,  describing  a  flourish 
after  his  name,  folded  the  letter  and  sealed  it. 

"  Are  you  warm,  Charley  ?  " 

"  Yes,'  sir." 

"  Where's  your  great-coat,  eh  ?  and  comfort, 
eh  ?  Get  them,  you  inconsiderate  rascal !  Do 


LORETTO  ;    OR,   THE    CHOICE.  19 

you  think  I  want  to  freeze  you  on  Fleetly's 
back,  to  be  a  Christmas  snow-man  for  the  children 
of  the  neighborhood  ?  " 

Charley  retired,  and  the  Colonel  directed  the 
letter.  "Now  you're  all  right  —  no,  stop!  your 
ear's  out,"  and  he  fixed  the  comfort  carefully, 
even  tenderly,  around  the  boy's  neck  and  head. 
"  Take  this  letter  to  the  post-office ;  it  must  go 
at  five  by  the  morning  mail.  Be  sure  you  drop 
it  into  the  box  and  not  the  gutter,  and  mind 
you,  Charley,  not  a  word  !  " 

With  a  bow  and  a  smile,  the  trusty  messenger 
departed.  When  he  had  gone  the  Colonel  again 
ensconced  himself  in  his  chair,  and,  contrary  to 
custom,  lit  another  cigar  and  replenished  his 
mug.  But  he  only  drank  half.  He  sat  there 
until  Charley  returned,  after  performing  his  task 
in  half  an  hour. 

"  Well-timed,  my  boy  !     Is  the  letter  in  ?  " 

A  nod. 

"  The  horse  attended  to  ?" 

Another  nod. 

"  Keep  close  to  the  fire  then,  and  drink  this : 
drink,  I  say !  it  won't  hurt  you,"  said  the  Colonel, 
slapping  him  on  the  back. 

In  a  few  minutes  more  they  were  both  abed; 
but  long  after  Charley  was  snoring  the  Colonel 
kept  tossing  on  his  pillow,  repeating  — 


20  LORETTO;   OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  M}r  sister,  we  are  playing  a  long  game  of 
chess,  and  I  have  just  made  the  first  move  1  " 

What  the  move  was  will  soon  appear. 

If  any  are  interested  in  the  game  let  them 
follow ;  if  placing  the  pieces  has  not  been  tedious, 
the  moves,  perchance,  may  please,  or  what  is 
more,  instruct. 

It  may  be  supposed  that  the  Colonel  was  a 
Protestant;  he  was  not,  however.  He  was  a 
Catholic,  at  least  he  had  been  a  Catholic ; 
but  that  was  long  ago,  when  his  mother  lived. 
By  neglecting  his  religious  duties  for  forty 
years  he  had  imbibed  all  the  prejudices  of 
society,  all  the  errors  of  humanitarianism,  all 
the  suggestions  of  inclifferentism  ;  in  short,  he 
was  uttei'ly  decatholicized,  and  nothing  more 
nor  less  than  a  thoroughbred  man  of  the  world, 
living  for  time  and  not  for  eternity,  loving  his 
neighbor  as  the  world  understands  it,  but  neglect 
ing  his  God. 

Agnes  was  up  with  the  sun  and  at  mass.  Her 
heart  bounded  gladly  and  fervently  as  she 
walked  home  with  the  bloom  of  health,  youth, 
and  piety  on  her  cheeks.  Summer  never  seemed 
fairer  than  that  winter  morning,  and  the  sun  on 
the  snow-clad  hill-tops  told  of  brightness  beyond 
its  own,  brightness  beyond  the  grave.  No  birds 
were  singing,  but  melody  was  all  around  her; 


LORETTO;    OE,    THE    CHOICE.  21 

no  flowers  were  blooming,  but  the  air  was  fra 
grance,  for  her  God  was  in  her  bosom,  and  her 
mother  leaned  on  her  arm. 

Breakfast  and  the  Colonel  were  waiting  for 
them  at  Loi-etto.  The  Colonel  was  a  scrupulous 
observer  of  all  the  habits  which  bachelorship 
invents  and  cherishes.  One  of  these  was  to  kiss 
his  niece  before  coffee  every  morning,  when  he 
had  the  chance.  But  this  time  his  embrace  was 
more  affectionate  than  it  had  ever  been,  and 
Agnes  observed  it. 

Christmas  was  drawing  near.  Confectioners' 
windows  in  the  village  were  already  bespangled 
Avith  visions  that  riveted  the  eyes  and  moistened 
the  mouths  of  troops  of  eager  boys,  who  knew 
that  the  second  harvest  of  the  year,  the  annual 
feast,  was  coming.  Agnes  too  looked  forward  to 
it  as  a  season  of  joy  unbounded  ;  for  her  gift  was 
to  be  the  divine  child  himself,  who  sanctified  the 
day. 

Three  days  after  the  Colonel  had  written,  an 
answer  came.  It  was  brief  and  satisfactory  : 


"MY  DEAR  OLD 

"  Expect  this  evening,  yours, 

"  ELLEX  ALMY." 

"  Bless   her  bright    young   soul  !  "  exclaimed 


22  LORETTO  J    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

the  Colonel,  pressing  the  paper  to  his  heart. 
"  Lei's  the  queen  that  will  win  this  game  ! " 

That  day  was  the  longest  the  Colonel  had  ever 
spent ;  it  seemed  to  him  as  though  evening  would 
never  come.  He  examined  his  tackle,  his  guns, 
his  razors;  he  whistled,  he  sang,  read,  wrote, 
walked,  rode  ;  but  do  what  he  would,  the  .hours 
were  ages.  By  a  strong  effort,  he  managed  to 
conceal  his  anxiety  from  his  sister  and  niece ; 
still  they  might  have  noticed  that  he  started  at 
the  sound  of  every  sleigh-bell,  and  that  he  took 
a  particular  pleasure  in  standing  at  the  window. 
He  was  singularly  musical,  too,  and  there  was 
scarce  one  ballad  of  the  olden  time  from  which 
the  Colonel  did  not  borrow  a  phrase  in  the 
course  of  the  day. 

Evening  came  at  last,  and  with  it  Ellen  Almy. 

"  Why,  there's  a  sleigh  at  our  gate,"  exclaimed 
Agnes,  rising  and  going  to  the  window. 

"  Who  can  it  be  ?  "  said  the  Colonel,  opening 
the  door. 

Agnes  followed  him  out  on  the  porch. 

"  Who  are  they,  Aggie  ;  your  eyes  are  better 
than  mine  ?  " 

"  Strangers  to  me,  a  lady  and  gentleman.  " 

Presently  they  heard  a  sweet,  clear  voice ; 
"  Yes,  this  is  the  place ;  I  remember  it  now. 
Help  me  out,  Mr.  Melville ;  these  country  winds 


LOKETTO;   OB,    THE    CHOICE.  23 

have  quite  starched  my  limbs,  and  I'm  stiff  as 
your  cravat." 

"  My  Lei,  I  do  verily  believe ! "  cried  the 
Colonel,  rushing  to  meet  her  as  she  leaped 
lightly  from  the  sleigh.  "  Lei,  Lei,  is  not  this 
you?" 

"All  that's  left  of  me,  uncle,  and  this  is  my 
very  good  friend,  Mr.  George  Melville,  a  young 
gentleman  who  can  catch  a  trout,  shoot  a  par 
tridge,  play  all  fours,  and  sing  divinely.  Take 
care  how  you  hug  me,  uncle;  I'm  cold  as  an 
icicle;  you'll  break  my  bones;  wait  till  I  get 
warm,"  and,  disengaging  herself,  she  ran  into  the 
parlor  and  threw  herself  on  her  knees  before  the 
fire. 

Mrs.  Cleveland  rose  in  amazement  at  this 
abrupt  entry,  and  Ellen,  enjoying  her  surprise, 
took  off  her  bonnet,  threw  back  her  long  golden 
curls,  and  still  kneeling  and  laughing,  said  :  — 

o  o          o* 

"  Now,  Aunt  Mary,  take  a  good  long  look, 
don't  you  know  me?" 

"  Ellen  Almy !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Cleveland, 
embracing  her,  as  the  Colonel  entered,  followed 
by  Agnes  and  George  Melville. 

Without  a  word,  Ellen  flew  towards  Agnes, 
and,  seizing  her  by  the  hand,  led  her  as  close  to 
the  lamp  on  the  table  as  she  could  get.  There 
she  stpod,  eyeing  her  from  head  to  foot,  so 


24  LORETTO;   OE,   THE   CHOICE. 

comically  that  Agnes  could  not  keep  from 
smiling. 

"So  this  is  my  little  cousin  with  whom  I 
played,  and  quarreled,  and  made  up,  ten  years 
ago  !  Do  you  remember  me,  Agnes  ? "  And 
the  expression  of  her  bright  face  suddenly 
changed,  her  eyes  filled  with  tears,  and  she 
'threw  her  arms  around  her  cousin's  neck. 

"  They  told  me,"  she  continued,  raising  her 
head  from  her  friend's  shoulder,  "that  you  had 
grown  up  to  be  a  sweet  creature,  with  black 
hair,  black  eyes,  rosy  cheeks,  and  cherry  lips, 
but  I  little  expected  to  find  such  an  absolute 
beauty." 

"Come  Ellen,  no  flattery  here,"  interposed 
Mrs.  Cleveland.  Ellen,  with  a  look  of  mock 
gravity  and  displeasure,  walked  slowly  up  to  her 
aunt,  and  looking  reproachfully  into  her  eyes, 
replied :  — 

"Madam,  you  do  me  great  injustice;  in  the 
first  place,  my  name  is  Lei,  not  Ellen.  The 
world  is  full  of  Ellens,  but  there's  only  one  Lei, 
isn't  there,  uncle  ?  Secondly,  though  my  faults 
are  as  innumerable  as  your  virtues,  I  have  not  to 
answer  for  the  sin  of  saying  what  I  do  not 
think." 

"  But  what  we  think  is  often  flattery,"  replied 
her  aunt. 


LOKETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  25 

"  Then,  to  please  you,  I'll  stop  saying  what  I 
think ; "  and  laughing  more  merrily  than  ever, 
she  sprang  upon  the  Colonel,  saying,  "Now  that 
I'm  thawed  you  may  hug  me  as  much  as  you 
please  ; "  and  the  old  gentleman  took  her  at  her 
word. 

There  was  silence  for  a  moment.  Ellen,  of 
course,  was  the  first  one  to  break  it,  — 

"My  goodness,  Mr.  Melville,  excuse  me;  but 
indeed  I  forgot  all  about  you ;  have  you  been  in 
the  room  all  this  time?  Permit  me,  sir;  Ag,  my 
friend,  Mr.  Melville,  sweet  name,  isn't  it  ?  Mr. 
Melville,  my  cousin,  Miss  Agnes  Cleveland,  just 
from  school,  as  that  blush  demonstrates.  I  wish 
I  could  blush  !  " 

Even  Mrs.  Cleveland  laughed  at  this,  and 
before  she  had  ceased  Charley  appeared,  and 
with  his  best  bow  announced  supper. 

Ellen  sat  next  to  Agnes.  "  Oh,  Aggie,"  she 
said,  "  I  feel  so  happy !  Do  you  remember  the 
long  walk  we  took  one  first  of  May,  the  day  I 
fell  in  the  creek  and  scared  off  uncle's  trout  for 
a  week  ?  Do  you  remember  the  talk  we  had, 
whilst  I  sat  on  the  grass  drying  off  in  the 
sun?" 

A  smile  played  over  Agnes's  face  as  she 
answered,  "I  have  not  forgotten  anything,  El 
len" 


26  LOBETTO  J    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

'•'•Lei!  I  tell  you!"  cried  her  cousin.  "You 
know  we  were  talking  about  the  future  that 
morning,  and  you  said  you'd  marry  a  soldier, 
andl"- 

"  Determined  to  have  a  circus  rider." 

"  That  his  neck  might  be  broken  as  speedily  as 
possible,"  suggested  Melville. 

Lei  eyed  him  meaningly  across  the  table  and 
said,  "Exactly!  Aunt  Mary,  this  is  the  same 
milk-toast  'you  used  to  give  us;  where's  the 
honey  ?  " 

Charley  brought  it. 

When  the  brief  meal  was  over  Agnes  and  her 
cousin,  arm-in-arm,  led  the  way  to  the  parlor. 

"  Put  your  hand  on  the  table,  Ag ;  there ; 
yours  is  larger  than  mine,  but  it's  whiter  too. 
Now,  take  off  your  shoe ;  what !  your  foot 
smaller  than  mine !  I  don't  believe  it.  Let's 
see  —  mercy  !  Were  you  ever  in  China  ?  " 

"Flattering  again?"  said  Mrs.  Cleveland. 

"By  no  means,"  answered  Ellen,  "I  was  allud 
ing  to  her  teeth. 

'  In  China  none  hold  women  sweet, 
Unless  their  snags  are  black  as  jet.' 

as  old  Prior  says  ;  "  and  she  pointed  (Agnes  was 
laughing)  to  the  ivory  gleaming  between  her 
lips. 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  27 

"  Lei "  said  the  Colonel,  from  his  arm-chair, 
"  under  what  impulse,  or  by  what  accident,  did 
you  blunder  on  us,  after  a  meditated,  deliberate, 
and  most  unpardonable  absence  of  nearly  ten 
years?" 

"  After  excusing  myself  from  the  accusation, 
I'll  answer  the  rest  of  the  question.  I  was  eight 
years  old  when  I  left  here ;  five  years  were  lost 
at  boarding-school;  two  more  wasted  at  a  pre 
paratory  academy  for  fashionable  life.  Of  course 
you  could  not  expect  me  to  interrupt  my  educa 
tion  merely  to  see  you.  Father  wouldn't  listen 
to  it.  Then  I  was  packed  off  to  Europe  for  two 
years,  to  obtain  a  fine  classical  finish,  and  on  my 
return  there  were  so  many  entertainments  that 
for  two  seasons  I  had  not  a  moment  to  spare  my 
relatives  and  friends,  without  doing  injustice  to 
my  multitudinous  admirers.  Isn't  it  so,  Mr. 
Melville?" 

Melville  drew  a  long  breath,  and  answered 
«  yes." 

"  Agnes,  that  was  meant  for  a  sigh,"  resumed 
the  lively  girl ;  "  he  is  incorrigibly  romantic. 
Well,  uncle,  one  morning  I  found  myself  not 
fifty  miles  from  here,  on  a  wedding  frolic,  and  as 
the  sleighing  was  good  it  struck  me  to  comfort 
your  old  eyes  by  my  presence,  especially  as  there 
is  a  chance  of  the  snow's  melting  and  a  ride 


28  LORETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE. 

back  in  the  mud.  Where  shall  we  go  to-night, 
Aggie  ?  " 

"  To  bed,  I  suppose,"  said  Agnes,  after  seeing 
the  drift  of  the  question. 

"  Do  you  go  to  bed  every  night,  Agnes  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  But  before  that?  Oh,  dear  !  Is  there  noth 
ing  to  be  seen  about  here?  no  sights,  no  rustic 

o  o  * 

soirees,  no  opera?  How  do  you  manage  to  exist 
between  nine  and  twelve?" 

"By  talking  and  sleeping." 

"  No  sleeping  now,"  observed  Melville,  sotto 
voce,  to  the  Colonel. 

•'A  piano,  as  I  live,"  went  on  Lei,  disregarding 
the  allusion  to  her  loquacity,  "strike  a  note  and 
I'm  dumb.  Come,  Agnes,  let  me  see  how  you've 
been  taught." 

Agnes  at  once  consented  and  played  a  theme 
with  variations  by  Hertz.  Lei  was  silent,  accord 
ing  to  promise;  but  hardly  had  the  last  note 
sounded,  than  she  broke  forth  :  — 

"  Cousin,  do  you  call  that  playing  ?  Listen  to 
me!"  She  sat  down  to  the  instrument,  and, 
after  a  shoi't  prelude,  began  an  adagio  of  Beetho 
ven's.  During  the  first  bar  her  face  changed  ; 
as  she  went  on  her  eye  seemed  to  catch  the 
inspiration  of  the  music  ;  the  giddy,  laughing  girl 
fled  before  something  nobler;  she  was  another 


LORETTO  ;   OR,    THE    CHOICE.  29 

being.     Agnes   stood    almost    breathless   beside 

O  O 

her,  surveying  her  cousin  in  joy  and  wonder. 
As  the  sublime  melody  rolled  on,  gathering- 
strength  from  the  deepening  harmony,  her  tears 
started ;  and  when  the  piece  was  over,  unable  to 
restrain  the  impulse,  she  clasped  Lei  in  her  arms. 
She  was  too  good,  too  pure,  not  to  perceive  her 
own  inferiority,  and  rejoice  in  it. 

"My  dear  Lei,"  she  said,  "  you  have  given  me 
a  lesson  I  shall  never  forget ! " 

"  Imitate  me  in  everything,  cousin,  and  you 
will  be  perfect,"  said  Lei. 

Melville,  whom  the  adagio  had  visibly  affected, 
advanced  to  the  piano. 

"Miss  Almy,"  he  said,  "play  that  again,  and 
I'm  yours  forever." 

Lei  looked  at  him  until  he  laughed  in  spite  of 
himself,  and  then,  without  discontinuing  her  gaze, 
began  to  sing  John  Anderson,  my  Joe  John, 
whilst  Melville  retreated  in  dismay.  The  con 
versation  soon  became  general,  and  thus  passed 
Lei's  first  evening  at  Loretto. 


80  LORETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE. 


CHAPTER  III. 


new  pieces  are  now  in  motion  at 
Loretto  —  Ellen  Almy  and  George  Mel 
ville.  In  a  few  words,  perhaps,  we  may 
bring  them  nearer  to  the  eye. 

Lei,  let  us  call  her  so,  for  it  is  a  sweet  name 
either  in  itself  or  from  association,  was  a  year 
younger  than  Agnes.  The  daughter  of  a  wealthy 
merchant,^  with  all  the  advantages  of  wealth 
and  fashion,  gifted  with  no  ordinary  share  of 
personal  beauty,  and  peculiarly  endowed  with 
that  indescribable  fascination  of  manner  which 
has  no  name,  Lei  was  a  pet  wherever  she  went. 
She  was  above  envy  and  without  a  rival.  What 
ever  she  did  became  a  law  for  the  satellites 
around  her  ;  scarcely  had  a  new  fancy  struck 
her  before  it  was  reduced  to  practice,  and  once 
realized  it  grew  into  a  fashion.  Her  actions 
and  sayings  were  retailed  at  second-hand,  and 
sought  after  with  much  avidity  by  all  those  who 
borrow  from  the  fruitfulness  of  others  to  supply 
their  own  mental  sterility. 

Of  course  Lei  had  been  spoiled.  Most  persons 
only  knew  her  as  a  light-hearted,  flippant  girl, 
with  wit  enough  to  amuse  others,  but  without 
prudence  to  govern  herself.  But  those  who 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  31 

looked  beneath  the  transparent  surface  could  see 
a  noble  vein  of  deep  feeling,  responding  firmly 
and  healthfully  to  every  genuine  touch.  Lei  had 
much  talent  and  more  genius;  she  acquired 
without  much  difficulty  what  others  had  written, 
but  rose  without  an  effort  to  higher  things,  of 
which  they  never  dreamed.  There  are  many  in 
the  world  who  resemble  her ;  many  we  meet 
daily  in  the  morning  and  in  the  evening,  who  to 
the  same  levity  unite  a  certain  strength  and 
elevation  of  character;  but  there  are  few  who 
equal  her,  few  who  combine  such  girlnm  merri 
ment  with  such  womanly  worth. 

Lei's  mother  had  been  a  Catholic,  but  she  was 
dead,  and  her  father,  being  a  Protestant,  gave 
her  a  Protestant  Episcopalian  education.  Of 
Catholics  she  knew  little  save  from  stereotype 
calumny,  and  from  her  own  juvenile  observations 
in  France,  Spain,  and  Italy. 

George  Melville  was  near  thirty.  Early  in  life 
he  was  left  lord  of  himself,  sole  heir  to  a  large 
fortune.  There  was  nothing  remarkable  in  his 
person  beside  a  high  forehead  and  a  bright  eye ; 
but  all  his  friends  considered  him  attractive. 
There  was  more  in  him  than  was  seen  at  first, 
much  that  was  only  perceptible  to  the  few  who 
knew  him  well.  He  had  been  a  hard  student  all 
his  life,  and  gave  to  the  classics  the  long  winter 


32  LOKETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

evenings  so  generally  sacred  to  revelry  and  dissi 
pation.  He  did  not,  however,  totally  abstain 
from  society,  but  carefully  avoided  becoming  its 
slave.  To  strangers  he  was  reserved  and  formal, 
with  others  cheerful  and  familiar.  Thei-e  was 
an  air  of  close  scrutiny  about  him  from  which 
ninety-nine  in  a  hundred  shrank.  Lei  was  not 
one  of  these ;  she  defied  both  competition  and 
scrutiny.  She  and  Melville,  though  apparently 
diametrically  opposite  in  taste  and  disposition, 
had  been  fast  friends  for  more  than  a  year,  and 
it  was  rumored  that  they  were  engaged  to  be 
married.  This  was  false,  however,  not  one  word 
of  love  having  passed  between  them.  The  masses, 
the  unreflecting  and  unfeeling  list  of  visitors, 
wondered  at  their  intimacy;  though  surely  it 
was  not  surprising  that  Melville  should  discover 
Lei's  real  value,  or  that  she  should  prefer  his 
intellectual  gifts  to  the  superficial  endowments 
of  the  bulk  of  her  acquaintances. 

"  Charley  ! "  cried  the  Colonel,  the  next  morn 
ing,  after  breakfast,  "  saddle  Fleetly  for  Mr. 
Melville,  and  Lilly  for  Miss  Agnes !  Do  you 
hear,  my  boy?  Off  with  you,  and  bring  them 
up  in  five  minutes.  Mind  the  girths,  you  ras 
cal,  there  are  two  precious  lives  depending  on 
the  proper  hole  in  a  leather  strap." 

"And  you  don't  mean  to  order  a  horse  for 


LORETTO  ;   OR,    THE    CHOICE.  33 

me,"  muttered  Lei,  pouting  as  she  spoke ;  "  am 
I  to  remain  here  for  your  special  edification?" 
"You  must  not  begrudge  me   an   hour   this 

o  o 

morning,"  answered  her  uncle.  "I  will  intro 
duce  you  to  the  farm,  my  dear  child,  and  coun 
teract  your  excessive  affectation  by  an  infusion 
of  rtisticity." 

"Well,"  replied  Lei,  as  Charley  and  the 
horses  appeared,  "  I  shall  endeavor  to  profit  by 
the  manners  of  your  turkeys,  chickens,  pigeons, 
pigs,  cows;  and  I  doubt  not,  but  that  after  a 
diligent  study  of  your  sheep,  I  shall  prove  an 
absolute  lamb.  Farewell,  mes  amis!"  she 
exclaimed,  as  Agnes  and  Melville  mounted. 
"  Farewell ! "  she  repeated,  as  they  galloped  off, 
and  turning  to  her  uncle,  looked  him  steadily 
and  seriously  in  the  face. 

Mrs.  Cleveland  was  sewing  in  the  back  parlor. 
A  peculiarly  sly  expression  played  around  the 
3orners  of  the  Colonel's  mouth,  and  he  glanced 
stealthily  towards  the  back  parlor. 

"  Now,"  Lei,  he  said,  with  great  significance, 
"come  to  my  sanctum,  and  I'll  show  you  my 
tackle." 

The  Colonel's  Sanctum  was  a  small  room 
next  his  chamber.  It  contained  all  his  sporting 
apparatus,  all  his  curiosities,  all  his  petty  bache 
lor  contrivances,  a  large  bookcase  crowded 


34  LORETTO  J   OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

with  Turf  Registers  and  Treatises  on  Anglicg, 
heaped  over  noble  editions  of  the  English 
essayists  and  the  old  English  dramatists.  A 
round  table  stood  in  the  centre,  covered  with 
papers,  heaped  up  in  that  glorious  confusion 
which  an  author  loves  and  a  housekeeper  hates. 
Two  rocking-chairs  and  a  red  lounge  were  the 
only  seats. 

Lei  took  one  chair,  the  Colonel  the  other. 

"  Oh,  uncle,"  said  Lei,  shaking  her  finger  at 
him,  "what  a  little  lying  hypocrite  you  have 
made  me." 

"  In  a  good  cause,  my  queen,"  replied  the  old 
man. 

"  You  wrote  me  word  that  Agnes  intended  to 
bury  her  beauty  in  a  convent,  and  that  I  must 
come  and  prevent  it.  But  what  possessed  you 
to  insist  on  my  dropping  in  as  if  by  accident, 
with  a  lie  on  my  lips  ?  Oh,  it  kills  me  to  play 
the  hypocrite !  I  was  tempted,  in  spite  of  your 
commands,  to  salute  Agnes  by  falling  on  her 
neck,  and  declaring  that  if  she  ever  took  the 
veil  it  would  have  to  go  over  my  head  too,  all 
the  priests  in  Christendom  to  the  contrary  not 
withstanding." 

"  Ha !  ha !  "  laughed  the  Colonel ;  "  very 
good,  very  good,  my  own  sweet  pet.  But  mark 
me,  Lei,  if  her  mother  suspects  us  we  are  gone. 


LORETTO;   OK,   THE   CHOICE.  35 

I  tell  you  that  Agnes  Cleveland,  in  her  cradle, 
was  devoted  to  the  cloister ;  and  I  know  my 
sister  well  enough  to  assert  that  if  we  show 
our  hand  we  lose  the  stake." 

"  Very  well,  uncle,  as  you  say.  Oh,  Lei,  Lei, 
have  you  come  to  this !  a  snake  in  the  grass  — • 
a  wily,  subtle,  deep  designing  serpent.  What 
would  Melville  say?" 

"Whatever  he  pleases,"  interposed  the  Colo 
nel  haughtily.  "  Listen,  Lei,  my  plan  is  briefly 
this :  while  you  stay,  to  consecrate  all  your 
energy,  all  your  fascination,  all  your  genius,  to 
divert  your  cousin's  mind  from  her  present 
purpose,  and  spread  out  before  her  all  the  allure 
ments  of  retined  society.  But  do  it  gradually, 
smoothly,"  gently;  do  it  so  that  the  transition 
will  be  unfelt,  so  that  her  mother  " 

"  Will  have  every  reason  to  despise  me !  " 
cried  Lei,  springing  to  her  feet.  "  Yet,  it  must 
be  done !  The  life  I  lead  is  bad  enough,  God 
knows,  but  it's  better  than  a  convent." 

Lei  said  this  mournfully.  She  was  standing 
by  the  window,  her  hand  resting  on  a  mag 
nificent  pair  of  antlers,  whose  ample  arms  su.s- 
taiued  a  powder-flask,  shot-pouch,  bird-bag,  and 
quite  a  variety  of  old  hats  and  caps  adapted 
to  all  the  seasons  and  every  species  of  weather. 
The  Colonel  sat  silently  eyeing  her,  as  if  not  a 
little  Duzzled. 


36  LOBETTO;   OB,   THE   CHOICE. 

Lei  looked  out  upon  the  snow-clad  plain, 
upon  the  pale  blue  wintry  sky,  and  fell  into  a 
re  very,  that  strange  compound  of  thought  and 
feeling  which  soothes  and  saddens  too.  She 
was  startled  from  it  by  a  heavy  hand  on  her 
shoulder.  She  turned  ;  the  Colonel  stood  beside 
her ;  his  cheeks  were  wet  with  tears,  his  upper 
lip  was  quivering. 

"  Lei,"  he  said,  "  if  what  I  ask  is  painful,  I 
will  not  demand  it ;  but "  —  the  words  died 
away  in  his  throat. 

Lei  dried  his  eyes  and  her  own  with  her  hand 
kerchief.  "  Uncle !  "  she  exclaimed,  impetuously, 
the  road  to  heaven  is  not  by  trampling  on  your 
heart,  and  Agnes  must  take  another  path !  Your 
hand,  uncle  !  "  They  joined  hands.  "  I  solemnly 
pledge  myself  to  wean  Agnes  from  her  choice  of 
a  religious  life,  if  all  the  influence  at  my  com 
mand  can  do  it !  I  will  tell  her  the  story  that- 
enchanted  me ;  I  will  reveal  the  beautiful  visions 
that  seemed  to  hover  before  me ;  I  will  tell  her 
of  the  raptures  I  have  had  and  of  the  raptures 
I  still  expect.  If  she  resists  me  she's  invin 
cible!" 

"Bless  you!  bless  you,  Lei!"  repeated  the 
Colonel,  putting  back  her  hair,  and  pressing  her 
head  to  his  bosom.  Though  for  ten  years  he 
had  rarely  seen  her,  and  then  only  for  a  day 


LORETTO;   OR,   THE   CHOICE.  37 

or  two  as  he  travelled,  yet,  at  that  moment,  she 
was  almost  as  dear  to  him  as  Agnes.  "  You 
have  given  me  new  life,  my  child  ;  there's  vic 
tory  in  your  flashing  face  !  Can  you  guess  my 
next  great  move  ?  " 

"Take  Agnes  home  with  me  after  Christmas?" 

"  Eh  ?  Have  you  fathomed  your  old  uncle  so 
soon?  To  be  sure;  go  with  you  she  must! 
Take  her  to  every  opera  and  every  ball " 

"  No,  no,"  broke  in  Lei ;  "  I  shall  carefully 
select  from  both,  or  you'll  soon  have  her  here  by 
telegraph,  more  eager  than  ever  for  the  con 
vent." 

"  Introduce  her  to  the  handsomest  men" 

"  And  disgust  her  at  once." 

"  Surround  her  with  stylish  women  " 

"  And  sicken  her  completely." 

"  Well,  then,"  suggested  the  Colonel,  taken 
sadly  aback,  "  begin  by  accustoming  her  to  small 
tea-parties  where  intelligence  makes  the  absence 
of  music  and  dancing  unfelt." 

Lei  fairly  screamed  and  laughed  till  she  reeled 
back  again  to  the  window. 

"  Take  her  to  a  tea-party !  My  dear,  good- 
for-nothing  old  uncle,  why  you'd  have  us  both 
back  for  the  convent !  " 

"Lei,'  said  the  Colonel,  and  stopped  short. 
Lei  turned,  expecting  something  else ;  her  bright 


38  LORETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE. 

eyes  glittering  from  laughter,  like  violets,  dewy 
in  the  morning. 

"Lei" —  He  looked,  up  and  catching  her 
mischievous  glance,  inwardly  admitted  that  he 
was  only  making  himself  ridiculous,  and  turning 
away  to  save  his  dignity,  added,  "  Do  just  as  you 
please,  and  be  hanged  to  you !  " 

"  Tell  me,  uncle,  and  tell  me  truly,  am  I  not 
the  abler  tactician  on  my  own  ground  ?  Your 
conception  of  the  game  is  a  masterpiece,  but 
leave  the  details  to  me." 

"  Right,  right,  you're  always  right." 

"I  knew  a  young  girl,  situated  just  as  Agnes 
is,  who  became  a  nun  because  her  friends  ovei'- 
did  it  in  trying  to  prevent  her.  I  don't  often 
praise  myself,  but  I  can  manage  the  human 
heart  as  easily  as  I  can  a  horse,  provided  I  once 
get  the  reins." 

"We  must  not  let  her  mother  suspect;  be 
prudent,  Lei." 

Lei  was  looking  out  of  the  window,  instead  of 
listening. 

"  What  fine  buildings  are  those?  she  asked." 

"  The  convent,"  replied  the  Colonel,  suppress-  » 
ing  a  curse. 

"  The  convent ! "  said  Lei,  musing.  "  So  it  is, 
there's  the  old  house ;  but  there  are  so  many  new 
ones  around  it,  it's  not  easily  seen.  Ah  me !  I 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  39 

don't  wonder  Ag  wants  to  stay  there.  Non 
sense  !  they'd  cut  off  all  her  beautiful  black  hair, 
and  crimp  her  face  up  in  a  skull-cap,  and  set  her 
to  scrubbing  floors  and  scouring  pots.  She  shan't 
go!" 

"  She  shan't !  "  responded  the  Colonel,  "  and 
now,  my  sister,  I  cry,  check/" 

Thus  plotted  Lei  and  the  Colonel,  whilst 
Agnes,  little  suspecting  what  mischief  they  were 
hatching,  rode  gayly  beside  George  Melville. 
Melville  was  much  interested  in  his  companion. 
She  was  a  new  character  to  him  ;  new,  not  only 
because  the  inexperienced  school-girl  peeped 
from  almost  every  sentence,  or  because  her  man 
ners  were  artless  and  unvarnished  by  social  attri 
tion,  though  affable,  striking,  and  dignified  by 
interior  correctness  and  feeling ;  Melville  had 
seen  many  such.  It  may  have  been  this,  in  part, 
but  there  was  something  else,  something  entirely 
new,  yet  still  suggesting  things  which  had  passed 
for  him,  but  which  might  come  again  ;  something 
admired  without  knowing  why ;  something  which 
repelled  while  it  attracted. 

The  world  has  some  redeeming  points,  and 
society  might  be  worse  :  public  opinion  is  yet 
sufficiently  Christian  to  discountenance  open 
crime.  The  thousands  we  meet  have  nothing  to 
blush  for ;  their  names  are  stainless,  their  eyes 


40  LOKETTO;   OK,    THE   CHOICE. 

are  bright  and  fearless,  their  hopes  are  high, 
there  is  no  brand  on  the  brow ;  the  tribunal  to 
which  they  appeal  acquits  and  commends  ;  their 
belief  in  their  own  integrity,  like  a  good  con 
science,  makes  them  lovely  and  enchanting.  But 
when  God  and  not  man  affixes  the  seal  of  inno 
cence,  when  the  soul,  pure  in  thought  as  well  as 
in  act,  walks  in  the  midst  of  "  a  thousand  liveried 
angels,"  how  different,  how  different !  Melville 
was  a  man  of  strong  sense  and  true  feeling,  a 
keen,  experienced  observe.',  a  tourist  of  more  than 
half  the  world;  but  he  found  Agnes  a  new 
character,  one  he  had  yet  to  read. 

At  first  he  found  it  difficult  to  remove  her 
embarrassment  and  to  converse  as  cordially  as 
he  wished.  But  the  sun  was  bright,  and  the 
heroes  bounded  along;  long  before  their  return, 
Melville  had  conquered  the  difficulty,  and  even 
reached  that  desirable  point,  seldom  soon,  and 
sometimes  never  gained,  where  people  exchange' 
thoughts  as  well  as  words. 

"Aggie,  dear," "said  Lei,  as  they  alighted,  "do 
you  know  that  you're  just  one-half  hour  after 
dinner  time  ?  " 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  41 


CHAPTER  IV. 

||HE  scene  is  still  the  same  ;  but  patience, 
reader,  it  will  soon  be  changed.  There 
are  not  many  spots,  even  in  your  fancy, 
superior  to  Loretto,  poorly  as  our  meagre  descrip 
tion  reflects  its  beauty.  "We  might  labor  for 
hours  to  picture  all  its  charms,  to  copy  the  fine 
prospect  it  commanded,  without  making  it  a 
whit  more  enchanting.  Loretto  had  no  water 
falls  around  it,  no  gloomy,  splendid  glens,  no 
towering  masses  of  rock,  cleaving  the  clouds  in 
stern  sublimity ;  but  every  tree,  every  field, 
every  outline  of  the  undulating  plain  had  a 
meaning ;  the  place  had  a  Genius,  the  indefinable 
spirit  of  beauty  haunted  the  spot. 

Let  us  spend  a  few  more  evenings  there :  they 
will  not  be  lost ;  they  are  necessary  to  the 
sequel.  Let  us  still  linger  around  that  bright, 
crackling,  intelligent  wood-fire,  inspiriting  that 
plain  little  parlor,  before  we  are  transported  by 
Lei's  magic  to  the  coal  furnaces  and  sumptuous 
drawing-rooms  of  the  city.  Christmas  is  but 
two  days  off,  and  then  we  leave,  not  to  return 
till  the  forest  trees  are  in  leaf,  the  orchards  heavy 
with  fruit ;  not  to  return  until  the  spring  flower? 
have  passed  away  and  the  busy  bees  have 


42  LOEETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE. 

exhausted  the  honeysuckles  wreathing  the  white 
porches  of  Loretto. 

"  Why  are  you  so  sad,  Lei  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Cleve 
land. 

"  Because  I  am  going  to  leave  you  to-morrow." 

"  To-morrow ! "  echoed  Agnes. 

"  To-morrow !  "  repeated  the  Colonel. 

"  I  must,"  said  Lei,  "  or  father  will  have  all 
the  alarm  bells  in  town  ringing  for  me,  and  all 
the  constables  in  creation  after  Mr.  Melville." 

"  Are  you  tired  of  our  solitude  ?  "  asked  her 
aunt. 

"No,  aunt;  but  I  am  sure  Mr.  Melville  is 
heartily  sick  of  your  country  monotony,  and 
longs  for  the  variable  gayety  he  has  made  essen 
tial  to  his  existence.  Much  as  I  wish  to  stay  I 
am  not  selfish  enough  to  enjoy  myself  at  his 
expense." 

"  Is  that  your  only  reason  ?  "  said  Melville. 

"  Not  the  only  one,  but  still  a  sufficient  one 
for  a  creature  as  considerative  and  self-sacrificing 
as  I." 

"  Lei !  "  gasped  the  Colonel,  thumping  the 
floor  with  his  stick,  "are  you  serious?" 

'  "  As  serious  as  I  ever  was,  or  ever  expect  to 
be." 

"  Do  you  love  me,  Lei  ?  " 

"Yes." 


JLORETTO  ;    OB,    THE    CHOICE.  43 

"  Then  stay." 

"  Can't,  uncle." 

"  Look'ee,  my  young  girl,  I  am  not  used  to 
contradiction." 

"  Nor  I  either,"  retorted  Lei. 

"  Do  you  dare  to  follow  your  inclinations  in 
spite  of  my  commands  ?" 

"  Dare  you  pretend  to  command  my  inclina 
tions  ?  No"  man  in  Christendom  can  boast  of 
that.  Leaving  Agnes  is  the1  hardest  part  of  it. 
If  only  you  and  Aunt  Mary  were  in  the  case,  I 
might  get  up  a  parting  tear ;  but  it  would  dry 
before  it  reached  my  mouth." 

"  I  assure  you,  Miss  Aim  y,"  said  Melville, "  that 
so  far  from  wishing  to  go  " 

"Did  you  think  me  in  earnest  when  I  spoke 
of  you?"  replied  Lei.  "Oh,  George  Melville! 
George  Melville!  the  cottage  of  Loretto  is  the 
tornb  of  your  wit !  " 

"  Lei ! "  said  Agnes,  taking  her  hand  and  kneel 
ing  down  before  her,  "  Lei,  I  have  been  silent, 
because  I  did  not  believe  you,  because  I  don't, 
can't,  and  won't  believe  you.  Meet  me  now 
with  your  wild,  wicked  blue  eyes,  and  tell  if  you 
will  not  spend  Christmas  with  us." 

Lei  hesitated  some  seconds,  and  then  re 
plied  :  — 

"  On  one  condition,  Agnes,  I  will." 


44  LOBETTO  ;    OE,    THE   CHOICE. 

"  Name  it !  name  it !  cried  the  Colonel,  bright 
ening  like  snow  in  the  morning.  "  We  grant  it 
in  advance." 

"  That  you  accompany  me  home,  Agnes,"  said 
Lei,  leaning  forward,  and  for  the  first  time  look 
ing  her  cousin  full  in  the  face.  There  was  an 
earnestness  in  Lei's  manner  that  could  not  be 
misinterpreted,  and  Agnes,  taken  by  surprise, 
continued  to  gaze  at  her,  not  a  little  bewildered 
by  the  proposition.  It  was  not  long,  however, 
before  her  eye  wandered  to  her  mother.  Lei 
saw  the  glance,  and  dreading  it,  rose  quick  as 
lightning,  and  throwing  her  arms  around  Mrs. 
Cleveland's  neck,  exclaimed,  — 

"  My  dearest  aunt,  if  you  deny  me  this,  we 
pai-t  forever.  Never  again  shall  Lei's  foot  cross 
this  time-honored  threshhold,  never  again  shall 
your  toast  and  honey  bless  my  lips,  never  again 
shall  these  arms,  which  a  statue  might  envy,  be 
your  necklace !  I  will  never  play  for  you,  never 
sing  for  you,  never  dance  for  you,  and,  what  is 
more,  I'll  never  pray  for  you.  Still  stern  and 
unrelenting?  Oh,  Aunt  Mary,  we  will  guard 
her  as  the.  apple  of  our  eye;  we'll  have  two 
dragons  in  special  attendance  ;  the  wind  shall  be 
tempered  to  suit  her ;  society  decimated  to  please 
her,  and,  listen,  Aunt  Mary,  the  rose  shall  bloom 
brighter  in  her  cheeks,  her  form  shall  be  fuller 


LOKETTO  ;   OR,    THE   CHOICE.  45 

and  her  step  freer ;  and  you  shall  have  her  back 
again,  the  same  noble,  beautiful,  peerless  Ag 
nes  ! " 

"  This  is  all  so  sudden,"  said  Mrs.  Cleveland, 
"that  I  cannot  possibly  give  you  an  answer 
to-night." 

"  Give  me  an  answer  to-morrow,  and  remember 
my  threats!  they  are  not  to  be  disregarded. 
And  as  for.  you,  my  veteran,"  continued  Lei, 
leaping  upon  the  Colonel,  if  you  do  not  use  all 
your  authority  in  my  favor  I'll  never  call  you 
uncle  again ! " 

"  Can't  spare  Aggie !  "  muttered  the  Colonel, 
afraid  to  look  up  lest  his  face  should  betray  his 
thoughts. 

"  Better  spare  her  a  month,  Colonel,  than  lose 
her  forever ;  "  and  she  brought  her  face  close  to 
his. 

"  God  bless  you !  "  he  whispered  in  her  ear. 

"  God  forgive  me  ! "  she  said  in  her  heart ;  and 
adding  aloud  —  "I  will  return  in  a  moment," 
left  the  room  laughing. 

She  went  to  her  chamber,  groping  her  way  in 
the  dark  and  blinded  by  her  tears.  She  knelt  in 
the  clear  moonlight  at  the  foot  of  her  bed. 

"Oh,  God!"  she  said — for  in  moments  of 
anguish  we  often  think  aloud  — ."can  I  lead  this 
young  angel  forth  from  this  holy  solitude  to 


46  LORETTO  ;   OR,   THE   CHOICE. 

share  with  me  the  spurious  honors,  the  tinsel 
trappings  I  covet  and  despise  ?  Shall  I  infect 
her  with  the  fatal  thirst  for  admiration  and 
excitement  which  consumes  me?  I  will  not!" 
She  started  to  her  feet.  "  And  yet  —  and  yet  — 
to  wither  in  a  convent  —  to  drag  out  life,  the 
miserable  dupe  of  suicidal  superstition.  Could 
I  stand  by  and  see  the  fillets  put  on  her  neck 
as  the  black-robed  executioner  leads  her  to 
the  shambles?  No,  Agnes,  you  shall  try  the 
world,  at  least.  If  it  does  not  sicken  you,  I 
think  there  is  more  of  the  nun  in  me  than  in 
you!" 

She  leaned  out  of  the  window  until  the  cold 
night  air  dried  her  tears  ;  then  carefully  washed 
her  eyes  and  returned  to  the  parlor. 

"  Come,  Ag,  a  truce  to  thought,  it's  a  bad 
companion.  Don't  sit  there  like  a  maid  of  mar 
ble,  come  closer  to  me.  Uncle,  let  your  stick 
alone,  I  don't  want  a  drum  obligate.  Don't 
breathe  so  hard,  Mr.  Melville." 

With  this,  Lei  began  the  following  song,  as 
merrily  as  if  she  had  not  wept  since  child 
hood  :  — 

"  There  was  a  time  when  she  rose  to  greet  me. 

But  what,  alas,  cared  I  ! 
For  well  I  knew  she  flew  to  meet  me, 
Yet  met  me  with  a  sigh. 


LOKET.TO  ;   OR,    THE   CHOICE.  47 

I  left  her  in  her  deep  dejection, 

And  laughed  with  merry  men. 
What  cared  I  for  her  true  affection  — 

I  did  not  love  her  then! 

But  now  I  wander  weak  and  weary, 

And  what,  alas,  cares  she! 
I  lost  her  love,  and  life  grew  dreary  — 

She  scarce  remembers  me ! 
In  vain,  in  vain  I  now  implore  her, 

She  spurns  my  tearful  vow  : 
Too  late,  too  late,  I  now  adore  her  — 

She  does  not  love  me  now! " 

As  Lei  concluded,  she  turned  to  Melville.  She 
had  sung  with  even  more  point  than  the  words 
seemed  to  suggest  —  and  the  look  she  gave  Mel 
ville  meant  something,  too,  whatever  it  was. 

"I  never  heard  that  before,"  said  Me  ville, 
from  his  seat. 

"You'll  hear  it  again  though,"  said  Lei. 

'•Who's  the  composer?"  he  asked. 

"  Words  and  music  perpetrated  by  your  hum 
ble  servant.  Now,  sir,  as  the  groves  of  Loretto 
are  not  yet  honeyed  by  your  voice,  I  abdicate 
in  your  favor.  Agnes,  ask  him  to  sing  ll  am  a 
Wanderer; '  it  is  a  wild,  diabolical  thing,  and 
he  delights  in  it." 

Melville,  thus  appealed  to,  did  not  wait  for 
Agnes  to  ask  him. 


48  LOEETTO  J   OR,   THE   CHOICE. 

"  Begin,  begin ! "  cried  Lei,  seating  herself 
beside  Mrs.  Cleveland.  "  Let  your  articulation 
be" —  She  bit  her  lip  and  crossed  her  arms 
meekly  over  her  breast.  Melville  was  sing 
ing:— 

"  I  am  a  wanderer  I 
Far  from  home,  far  from  her  — 
The  lady  whom  I  left  in  tears, 

Whose  tears  still  flow  for  me, 
The  bride  I  have  not  seen  for  years, 

And  never  more  may  see  ! 

"  Houseless  and  penniless, 
None  to  love,  none  to  bless  ! 
Oh !  wronged  and  wronging,  let  me  rave  — 

In  death  our  tears  are  dried ; 
I'll  sleep  as  soundly  in  the  grave 

As  ever  at  her  side  1 " 

The  wild  ballad  was  followed  by  a  dead  silence ; 
even  Lei  was  hushed.  Agnes  was  startled ;  the 
Colonel  looked  anxiously  at  Mrs.  Cleveland, 
whose  face  was  supported  and  concealed  by  her 
hand.  To  Melville,  the  long  pause  was  painful, 
his  powerful  voice  and  the  almost  unearthly 
music  had  produced  an  effect  greater  than  he 
designed  or  wished. 

"  A  strange  song,  that,  Colonel  Cleverton,"  he 
said,  striking  some  chords  carelessly;  "and  it 
came  into  my  possession  in  a  very  singular  way. 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  49 

I  was  reading  a  new  overture  of  Mendelssohn's, 
at  a  music  store  at  London,  when  my  attention 
was  diverted  by  a  conversation  between  the  pro 
prietor  and  a  middle-aged  gentleman  who  had 
entered.  I  could  not  remove  niy  eyes  from  the 
stranger  —  he  fascinated  me.  His  dress  was 
negligent,  his  coat  old  and  faded,  but  his  bearing 
proud  and  graceful.  I  cannot  describe  his  head 
and  face  —  you  may  have  seen  the  same  expres 
sion  in  a  sculptor's  ideal  of  manly  power  and 
beauty.  It  seemed  as  if  disappointment  or  re 
morse  had  frozen  from  it  every  particle  of  joy ; 
but  there  was  left  a  reckless  disdain  of  every 
thing  human  or  superhuman,  and  the  shadow  of 
a  great  mind  embittered  by  adversity  and  en 
feebled  by  dissipation." 

Had  Melville  looked  towards  the  corner  where 
Mrs.  Cleveland  sat  he  would  have  paused ;  but 
observing  that  Agnes  was  listening  intently  he 
continued, — 

"  He  came  to  sell  the  song.  As  the  publisher 
was  courteously  returning  it,  I  asked  permission 
to  glance  at  it.  He  assented  coldly  and  with  a 
smile  of  scorn  almost  insulting.  The  daring 
originality  of  every  phrase  —  the  wild  tide  of 
melody  made  me  stare  in  astonishment  at  the 
stranger  who  claimed  to  be  the  author.  The 
same  withering  smile  was  on  his  face.  We  were 


50  LOEETTO;    OE,   THE    CHOICE. 

standing  beside  a  piano,  and,  -without  more  ado, 
I  sang  it  with  all  the  feeling  inspired  by  the 
novelty  of  the  music  and  the  man.  It  was  my 
turn  of  triumph  then.  Before  I  had  well  fin 
ished  the  stranger  seized  mv  hand — his  thin 

O  * 

cheeks  flushed  and  a  mist  gathered  in  his  eyes. 

"  '•You  understand  me,'  he  said. 

"  '  Will  you  sell  me  this  song?'  I  asked. 

"The  flush  in  his  cheek  deepened  as  he  re 
plied  :  — 

" '  Are  you  not  an  American  ? ' 

"I  bowed. 

"  'Do  you  return  to  your  country?' 

«'Yes.' 

"'Then  honor  me  by  accepting  my  song.' 

*'  He  saluted  me  cordially,  and  brushing 
quickly  by  the  publisher,  would  have  gone  with 
out  another  w-ord.  Unwilling  to  part  from  him 
thus  I  caught  him  by  the  arm. 

"  '  May  I  ask  your  name  ? '  I  said. 

"  '  I  have  none.' 

" «  Stay,  sir,  I  beg  you,  and  let  us  enjoy  one 
hour  of  music  together.' 

" '  I  no  longer  evj oy  music,'  he  replied,  with 
an  accent  that  made  me  shudder. 

"I  gave  him  my  card,  saying,  'Pray,  let  us 
meet  again.' 

"  *  In  heaven,  perhaps,'  was  the  only  answer ; 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  51 

and  he  stepped  into  the  street,  leaving  me  rooted 
to  the  floor  in  amazement.  He  remains  a  mys 
tery  to  this  day  :  I  can  see  him  now  —  the  deep 
scar  on  his  forehead  "  — 

As  if  her  heart  had  burst,  a  deep  groan  came 
from  Mrs.  Cleveland's  breast. 

"  Death  and  madness  ! "  muttered  the  Colonel, 
tottering  toward  her;  but  Agnes  anticipated 
him. 

"  It  is  nothing,  Agnes,"  whispered  Mrs.  Cleve 
land,  recovering  herself.  "It  will  pass  off  in  an 
instant,  only  a  momentary  faintness.  A  glass  of 
water,  my  child !  " 

The  cloud  on  the  Colonel's  brow  was  terrible. 

"  Could  you  not  see,"  said  Lei,  aside  to  Mel 
ville,  "  that  eveiy  word  you  uttered  was  a  dagger 
plunged  into  that  woman's  heart !  " 

"  More  mystery,  more  mystery,"  said  Melville. 
"What  have  I  done?" 

"  God  knows !  But  never  sine:  that  sons:  again." 


CHAPTER  V. 

S  Charley  was  covering  up  the  parlor 
fire  for  the  night  Agnes  left    Lei  and 
went  to   her   mother's    chamber.     She 
had  never  heard  her  father's  name  mentioned; 


52  LOKETTO  J    OK,    THE    CHOICE. 

she  rarely  thought  of  a  father,  and  whenever  she 
did  it  was  only  to  offer  up  a  fervent  prayer  for 
one  who  had  died  before  she  was  old  enough  to 
know  or  to  love  him.  But  Melville's  song,  her 
uncle's  frown,  and  her  mother's  anguish  had 
revealed  a  secret  hitherto  unsuspected ;  her 
memory  darted,  like  a  ray  of  light,  farther  back 
into  her  life,  and  it  seemed  to  her  that  she  had 
loved  another  before  she  loved  the  Colonel,  one 
who  was  all  kindness,  one  who  sang  to  her 
before  she  came  to  Loretto,  one  who  was  with 
her  day  and  night,  one  whom  she  suddenly 
missed  and  wept  for.  Was  it  her  father,  and 
was  he  alive?  Unable  to  answer,  unable  to 
satisfy  or  control  her  thousand  vague  conject 
ures,  she  now  sought  her  mother  to  escape  the 
torture  of  doubt.  Agnes  had  seen  little  of  the 
world;  her  observation  had  been  limited  to 
Loretto  and  the  adjacent  village  ;  but  her  inex 
perience  was  amply  supplied  by  that  keen,  quick 
insight  which  needs  not  the  lamp  of  time  or 
trial  to  read  the  book  of  human  nature.  Before 
Melville  had  concluded  his  narrative  she  sus 
pected  ;  when  the  deep  groan  interrupted  him, 
she  knew  the  truth. 

Mrs.  Cleveland  rose  from  her  knees  as  Agnes 
entered,  and  they  sat  down  together  on  the  bed. 
The  first  look  revealed  their  thoughts,  and  they 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  53 

embraced  in  silence.  Much  as  Agnes  wished  to 
speak  it  was  long  before  her  working  lips  could 
pronounce  the  question  she  wished  yet  feared 
to  utter.  At  last,  firmly  and  rapidly,  the  ques 
tion  came,  — 

"Is  my  father  living?" 

A  flood  of  tears  was  the  only  reply ;  for  the 
full  heart  must  overflow  before  it  speaks.  But 
Mrs.  Cleveland  had  trained  herself  to  resigna 
tion  in  the  school  of  the  cross ;  the  unspoken 
prayer  sped  from  her  uplifted  eye,  and  stilled 
her  breast,  and  calmed  her  throbbing  heart,  and 
poured  light  and  sweetness  over  the  waters  of 
bitterness  on  her  face.  Agnes  waited  till  all  was 
calm,  and  then  repeated  more  firmly  and  dis 
tinctly  still  — 

"  Is  my  father  living  ?  " 

"  I  know  not !  " 

She  had  controlled  her  emotion  until  then, — 
that  fair  young  girl  —  she  had  nerved  herself  to 
hear,  iinshrinking,  whether  he  was  alive  or  dead, 
but  she  was  unprepared  for  this  terrible  announce 
ment  ;  unprepared  to  remain  longer  in  suspense ; 
unprepared  to  hear  from  her  mother's  lips  this 
fearful  ignorance  of  her  father's  fate.  The  dark 
wavering  line  of  sudden  agony  rose  in  her  fore 
head,  and  she  clasped  her  hands  in  supplication 
and  terror ;  pale  and  motionless  as  death  she  sat, 


54  LOEETTO;   OE,    THE   CHOICE. 

her  eyes  fixed  on  her  mother's,  crouching  as 
though  she  shrank  from  another  word. 

"  I  can  tell  you  nothing  more,  my  child,"  Mrs. 
Cleveland  said,  employing  as  she  spoke  all  the 
arts  of  maternal  love  to  heal  the  wound  she  had 
inflicted ;  "  I  can  tell  you  nothing  more.  Trust 
to  God  and  pray  for  your  father.  AVe  may  meet 
again,  if  not  here,  in  heaven !  " 

Ay,  to  those  who  live  for  this  world  with 
scarce  a  thought  of  the  next,  who  centre  all  their 
hopes,  fears,  joys,  sorrows,  thoughts,  passions 
/iere,  who  look  on  death  as  the  end  of  all,  who 
know  God  only  by  reputation,  who  trust  not  his 
mercy  in  misfortune  and  ask  not  his  blessing  in 
prosperity,  who  in  health  or  sickness  fly  to  man 
as  the  sole  companion,  the  sole  comforter,  —  to 
these,  indeed,  a  meeting  in  heaven  means  noth- 
ii>g ;  but  to  those  who  look  beyond  the  grave  for 
their  true  home,  who  hail  death  as  the  end  of 
exile,  the  beginning  of  life,  who  hold  the  acci 
dents  of  time  light  in  comparison  with  their  lot 
in  eternity,  who  stake  not  their  happiness  on 
human  calculation,  who  exult  when  the  world 
cries  "  Despair  ! "  who,  amid  change,  and  storm, 
and  light,  and  darkness,  preserve  a  correspond 
ence  fixed  above ;  who,  though  in  daily  contact 
with  man,  are  in  constant  communion  with  God, 
living  to  love  in  bliss  hereafter,  to  these  a  meet- 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  55 

ing  in  heaven  is  an  appreciable  promise,  a 
blessing  that  takes  the  sting  from  parting ;  and 
they  know  not  how  to  say  "  Farewell  forever !  " 

Years  of  consolation  could  not  have  imparted 
to  Agnes  the  exquisite  relief  of  that  one  word. 
"  Yes,  in  heaven ! "  she  said,  again  and  again, 
and  knelt  with  her  mother  almost  rejoicing. 

When  Mrs.  Cleveland  was  alone  her  mind 
gradually  wandered  from  the  painful  subject 
which  had  engrossed  it  to  the  consideration  of 
Lei's  proposition.  She  had  never  parted  from 
Agnes  except  to  place  her  at  the  convent  school, 
where  all  was  harmony  and  peace,  where  the 
licensed  pride  a-nd  revelry  of  society  found  no 
footing.  She  mistrusted  the  influence  of  fashion 
able  life  on  any  pure,  young  heart ;  she  was 
happy  in  her  daughter's  choice ;  she  did  not 
believe  that  temptation  must  be  sought  and  van 
quished  before  a  decision  is  made.  But  she 
feared  precipitation,  she  feared  lest  the  strict 
seclusion  in  which  Agnes  had  been  brought  up 
might  have  misled  her  by  making  habit  seem 
vocation.  She  thought  it  better  that  her  daugh 
ter  should  see  something  of  the  world  before  she 
renounced  it.  She  was  not  conscious  of  one 
spark  of  pride  in  her  daughter's  beauty,  or  of 
ambition  to  see  it  triumph  in  the  arena  of  fashion. 
She  regarded  marriage  as  a  very  questionable 


56  LOKETTO  J    OK,    THE    CHOICE. 

blessing,  and  certainly  aspired  not  to  any  bril 
liant  alliance.  But  Mrs.  Cleveland  was  a  woman 
and  a  mother;  she  did  not  fully  consider  the 
danger  of  gazing  on  the  pomp  and  splendor  and 
magic  in  which  the  arch-demon  steeps  arid  gilds 
the  orgies  of  his  votaries ;  it  did  not  strike  her 
that  there  was  not  the  least  occasion  to  witness 
or  bid  adieu  to  the  pleasures  Agnes  could  never 
share.  She  did  not  like  to  judge  the  world  too 
harshly ;  there  were  many  pure,  pious  people  in 
it,  who  lived,  as  she  did,  apart  from  its  excesses 
and  in  the  enjoyment  of  its  comforts ;  there  were 
some  who  glided  uncontaminated  through  all  its 

o  o 

dangerous  mazes,  guided  by  one  faithful  thread 
that  brought  them  safely  out.  Lei  was  wild  and 
light,  but  truehearted  and  sensible  withal ;  a 
fortnight  or  a  month  could  make  no  change  in 

O  •  O 

Agnes,  unless  such  were  the  will  of  God.  But 
Mrs.  Cleveland  came  to  no  conclusion  of  her 
own,  except  to  leave  the  matter  with  Agnes  and 
her  confessor.  Upon  this  delicate  and  all  impor 
tant  point  her  own  reasoning  failed  to  satisfy 
her ;  she  felt  that  she  needed  advice  in  a  question 
so  dear  to  her,  advice  from  those  who  were 
commissioned  to  instruct.  Her  humility  wras 
equal  to  her  firmness ;  for  her  firmness  pro 
ceeded  not  from  self-reliance,  but  from  reliance 
on  God. 


LOEETTO  ;    OE,   THE   CHOICE.  57 

Agnes,  younger  in  grief  than  her  mother,  re 
mained  awake  long  after  the  latter  slept,  think 
ing  of  her  father  and  watching  Lei,  Avho  was 
slumbering  so  calmly  beside  her.  With  Agnes 
it  was  a  night  of  almost  ceaseless  prayer,  —  of 
prayer  more  refreshing  then  than  sleep.  Pres 
ently  the"  taper  grew  pale  in  the  dawn,  and  the 
merry  sunbeams  tipped  the  window  curtains 
with  gold — the  domestics  were  astir — it  was 
the  morning  of  Christmas  eve. 

"Now,"  cried  Lei,  "for  another  day  at  Lo- 
retto ! " 

"  I  knew  you  did  not  mean  to  leave  me,"  said 
Agnes. 

Lei  drew  back  abashed,  as  she  recollected  her 
imperious  declaration  of  last  night,  and  some 
moments  elapsed  before  she  added,  with  the 
arch  gravity  she  could  so  well  assume,  — 

"  Provided,  Ag !  provided,  I  can  thus  pur 
chase  leave  of  absence  for  you." 

But  the  saving  clause  came  too  late.  A  word, 
a  look,  a  blush,  a  pause,  may  defeat  the  subtlest 
schemes,  even  when  nearly  perfected  ;  just  as 
the  snapping  of  a  twig  betrays  and  foils  the 
ambushed  hunter  when  surest  of  his  prey. 
Agnes  remembered  now  some  strange  looks 
that  had  passed  between  Lei  and  the  Colonel, — 
she  remembered  many  of  Lei's  remarks,  which 


58  LORE T TO;   OK,   THE    CHOICE. 

implied  a  knowledge  of  her  determination  to 
embrace  a  religious  life,  —  and,  after  a  rapid  re 
view  of  all  that  had  lately  happened,  she  felt 
sure  that  Lei  had  not  come  to  Loretto  without  a 
purpose  or  uninvited. 

Lei,  confident  that  she  had  parried  suspicion, 
ascribed  the  evident  tumult  in  her  cousin's  mind 
to  Melville's  song  and  the  subsequent  interview 
with  her  mother.  Lei  had  heard  her  father 
allude  vaguely  to  Mrs.  Cleveland's  misfortune, 
and  guessed  the  nature  of  it.  "  Poor  girl,"  she 
murmured  inaudibly,  "  no  wonder  she  is  so 
thoughtful ! " 

For  once  in  her  life  Lei  \vas  deceived.  We 
have  already  indicated  the  process  by  which 
Agnes  discovered,  or  thought  she  had  discov 
ered,  a  deliberate,  premeditated  plan;  but  she 
did  not  stop  there.  She  loved  Lei  as  she  stood 
there  before  her,  young,  gifted,  beautiful ;  the 
few  days  they  had  spent  together  had  sufficed  to 
endear  them  mutually  to  each  other ;  like  two 
sweet  springs,  they  met  and  then  flowed  on 
together.  Agnes  required  no  assistance  in  de 
tecting  her  cousin's  virtues,  no  monitor  to  point 
out  her  imperfections.  She  knew  her  as  if  by 
inspiration.  Agnes  was  not  thinking  of  her 
father,  but  of  her  who  stood  before  her,  young, 
gifted,  beautiful.  A  heroic  purpose  crossed  her 


LORETTO  ;   OR,    THE   CHOICE.  59 

mind,  the  ardor  of  a  missionary  glowed  in  her 
cheeks,  and  if  mortals  are  ever  commissioned  to 
aid  an  angel  guardian  Agnes  felt  the  call. 
"Without  presumption,  but  in  hope  and  joy,  she 
silently  folded  Lei  to  her  heart,  vowing,  — 

"  You  came  to  change  me ;  I  go  to  change 
you/" 

Lei,  at  a  loss  to  account  for  so  much  emotion 
and  so  little  grief,  could  not  help  saying,  with  a 
smile,  — 

"  Ag,  I  know  you're  unhappy,  and  yet  you're 
not  sad.  Does  Catholic  sorrow  differ  from  Prot 
estant  sorrow  ?  " 

"  It  may,  perhaps ;  I  know  too  little  of  your 
heresy  to  decide." 

"  Then  how  do  you  know  it's  a  heresy  ?  "  sug 
gested  Lei,  quickly  and  maliciously. 

"  Because  the  church  brands  it  heresy.  I  am 
not  the  judge." 

"  Oh,  Aggie,  Aggie,  how  delightfully  humble 
your  church  is ! " 

"  Humbler,  though  infallible,  than  you  erring 
and  culpable  individuals  who  presume  to  judge 
her." 

This  was  the  first  time,  and  then  accidentally, 
that  the  two  friends  touched  controversy ;  they 
had  no  relish  for  it.  But  having  once  crossed 
weapons  playfully,  the  contest  might  have  waxed 


60  LORETTO  ;    OK,    THE    CHOICE. 

•warmer  had  not  the  Colonel's  sonorous  voice, 
echoing  up  the  stairs,  terminated  the  battle 
thus :  "  Girls,  are  you  ever  coming  down  to 
breakfast  ?  " 

We  need  not  tell  how  Lei  redoubled  her  en 
treaties,  how  Melville  delicately  aided  her  to 
induce  Mrs.  Cleveland  to  consent  at  once  to  a 
brief  separation  from  her  daughter,  or  how  the 
Colonel  threw  all  the  influence  of  authoritative 
silence  in  Lei's  favor,  saying  nothing  on  either 
side,  but  expi-essing  by  every  limb,  feature,  mo 
tion —  "Let  her  go!" 

"I  will  decide  to-ni^ht,"  was  Mrs.  Cleveland's 

o       * 

only  answer  to  every  appeal. 

In  the  afternoon,  Agnes  and  her  mother  or 
dered  Charley  to  get  ready  their  snug  country 
wagon  for  the  convent. 

"  Lei,"  said  Agnes,  as  she  was  stepping  into 
the  carriage,  "  the  Litany  will  be  sung  at  six, 
and  I  want  you  to  hear  it.  You  and  Mr.  Mel 
ville,  can  leave  here  at  five  and  be  in  time." 

"Gone  to  consult  her  confessor,"  muttered 
the  Colonel,  as  Charley  flourished  his  whip; 
"  he  will  never  let  her  go." 

"  Then,"  returned  Lei,  "  there's  but  one  thing 
left  —  Mr.  Melville  must  challenge  him." 

The  Colonel  was  in  no  laughing  humor.  He 
did  his  best  to  content  himself  in  the  cottage, 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  61 

exhausting  every  position  possible  to  the  human 
body,  and  exploring  every  room  in  the  house, 
without  satisfaction  or  repose.  Finally,  he 
caught  up  his  gun  and  swore  he  would  have  a 
brace  of  partridges  for  supper. 

Lei  and  Melville  were  left  alone  without  ex 
actly  knowing  what  to  do.  A  shade  passed 
over  the  young  girl's  brow  as  she  Avatched  Mel 
ville  intently  for  a  while,  as  he  sat  abstractedly 
gazing  toward  the  convent.  But  her  glad,  gay 
look  soon  returned,  and  she  said,  — 

"  I  wonder  whether  a  little  music  will  not 
keep  us  alive  until  five  o'clock." 

For  some  minutes  she  played  without  an  aim, 
trilling  with  some  pretty  melodies  that  came 
first  into  her  mind  ;  but  presently  higher  thoughts 
began  to  dawn,  and  she  blended  into  one  superb 
whole  a  thousand  fragments  of  fine  ideas,  some 
original,  some  remembered,  until  Melville  him 
self,  often  as  he  had  witnessed  these  flights  of 
genius,  was  fairly  astounded.  The  cottage 
seemed  to  be  alive  with  music,  as  Lei,  forgetful 
of  herself,  of  him,  and  of  all  else,  save  the 
beauty  she  was  creating,  lovelier  than  she  had 
ever  been,  poiu-ed  forth  the  unpremeditated 
strain.  The  movement  was  rapid  but  sad, 
though  variable  as  an  April  morning,  until  there 
seemed  to  be  an  evident  concentration  of  one 


62  LOKETTO  J   OE,    THE    CHOICE. 

idea;  and  then,  gathering  all  her  strength  for 
the  sublime  theme,  which  she  had  been  almost 
imperceptibly  approaching,  she  dashed  without 
pause  or  breathing  into  a  figure  of  John  Sebas 
tian  Bach's.  Every  touch  unfolded  some  ex 
quisite  passage  in  the  master's  life,  and  Melville 
could  see  the  fair-haired  child  of  genius  studying 
thorough-bass  by  moonlight,  lest  his  jealous 
brother,  catching  the  gleam  of  his  lamp,  should, 
send  him  to  the  garret.  He  could  see  him  toil 
ing  on  cheerfully  through  persecution  and  neg 
lect,  until  in  the  full  blaze  of  acknowledged 
superiority  he  rose  like  the  day-star  from  the 
inists  of  the  horizon. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  that  ?  "  cried  Lei,  as 
evidently  delighted  as  though  another  had  per 
formed,  with  tears  still  in  her  eyes. 

"  I  wish  it  had  lasted  forever,"  was  Melville's 
enthusiastic  reply. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

was  'quite  dark  when  Lei  and  Melville 
entered  the   convent  chapel.     Lei  was 
admitted,  at  Mrs.  Cleveland's  instance, 
through  the  private   door.     The  tapers  on  the 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  63 

altar  were  not  yet  lit,  and  the  soft  light  of  a 
single  lamp  produced  an  effect  more  solemn 
than  darkness.  A  novice  showed  her  to  a  pew, 
where  she  sat  down  in  silence,  well  pleased  to 
have  some  moments  for  reflection  in  a  place  so 
favorable  to  meditation. 

Melville  was  conducted  to  a  recess  on  the 
right  of  the  altar.  He  looked  anxiously  round 
for  Agnes  and  her  mother,  but  they  were  either 
invisible  or  absent.  Had  the  folding  doors  of 
the  sacristy  been  open  he  Avould  have  seen  the 
confessor  of  the  convent  sitting  between  Mrs. 
Cleveland  and  Agnes,  and  had  he  been  a  little 
nearer,  might  have  heard  the  end  of  a  discus 
sion  in  which  he  was  interested  even  more 
deeply  than  he  imagined. 

The  confessor  was  a  middle-aged  man,  tall 
and  spare,  slightly  bald,  his  face  marked  with 
that  beautiful  character  of  meekness  and  benevo 
lence  which  belongs  to  those  alone  who  ever 
feel  that  the  eye  of  God  is  on  them.  A  life  of 
piety  and  self-denial  is  marked  by  lines  as  legible 
as  the  furrows  which  irreligion  and  profligacy 
plough ;  there  needed  not'  the  surplice  and  the 
cassock  to  point  him  out  as  "a  man  of  God." 

Mrs.  Cleveland  and  Agnes,  after  receiving 
absolution,  had  called  him  into  the  sacristy  and 
acquainted  him  with  Lei's  proposition. 


64  LOBETTO;   OB,    THE   CHOICE. 

"  I  am  somewhat  afraid  of  this  same  Lei,"  he 
said,  after  they  had  sketched  her  character.  "  I 
should  not  like  to  trust  our  rustic  little  Agnes 
with  so  accomplished  a  belle.  Do  you  think  it 
advisable,  madam  ?  " 

"  I  leave  the  matter  entirely  with  you,"  Mrs. 
Cleveland  replied. 

"  And  what  says  Agnes  ?  " 

"  I  wish  to  go,"  returned  Agnes,  grasping  his 
hand. 

"  You  wish  to  go ! "  repeated  the  confessor, 
earnestly  surveying  his  youthful  charge,  his  voice 
faltering  as  he  spoke,  in  astonishment  and  fear. 

"  Yes,"  cried  Agnes,  kneeling  before  him  and 
meeting  unflinchingly  his  reproving  look.  "Oh, 
father,  I  cannot  tell  you  ho\v  beautiful  a  soul  is 
straying  from  heaven  in  that  Lei  whom  you 
fear.  I  know  she  wishes  to  change  my  present 
purpose,  I  know  she  came  here  chiefly  to  alter 
my  determination,  I  know  she  expects  my  visit 
to  her  to  promote  or  accomplish  her  object.  But 
I  have  found  out  that  she  is  less  attached  to  the 
•world  than  I  am  to  the  cloister,  that  she  would 
sooner  relinquish  her  idols  than  I  the  veil.  In 
the  struggle  between  us  the  victory  will  be 
mine,  not  hers.  For  this  I  wish  to  go." 

The  priest  regarded  her  a  while  in  silence, 
and  then  said,  with  a  smile  of  compassion  and 
love,  — 


LORETTO  J    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  65 

"  Is  this  your  only  reason,  my  child  ?  " 

"It  is,  indeed.  If  there  be  in  my  heart  one 
lui'king  wish  to  see  or  share  the  pleasures  I  have 
heard  of,  but  never  tasted ;  if  there  be  one  spark 
of  curiosity  to  know  something  of  life's  page 
antry  before  I  leave  it;  if  there  be  any  motive 
other  than  that  I  have  mentioned,  before  heaven 
I  am  unconscious  of  it. " 

"My  child,  my  child,  your  motive  is  beauti 
ful.  But  your  generous  designs  will  plunge  you 
into  temptations  which  it  would  be  presumption 
to  seek  without  a  special  call." 

"Father,"  said  the  young  girl,  her  dark  eye 
gleaming  with  radiance  beyond  that  which  men 
call  beauty,  "Father,  it  is  not  merely  because 
I  have  been  educated  in  a  convent  school, 
screened  from  conventional  blandishments  by 
the  solitudes  of  Loretto,  and  accustomed  from 
infancy  to  the  impressive  observances  of  this 
consecrated  retreat,  that  I  have  determined  to 
be  a  religious.  I  have  heard  my  schoolmates 
picture  their  city  homes  and  pastimes  in  colors 
brighter,  perhaps,  than  reality.  The  finger  of 
God  has  pointed  out  my  vocation,  and  my 
choice  is  unalterably  made.  As  I  recognized 
his  blessed  hand  when  I  first  announced  to  you 
my  fixed  resolve,  so  do  I  now  recognize  his 
sacred  voice,  and  it  bids  me  go. " 


66  LORETTO;   OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

Agnes  still  knelt,  her  hands  clasped,  her  face 
upturned  to  heaven,  as  if  bearing  witness  to  her 
truth.  It  was  a  beautful  group  —  the  priest  and 
the  mother  in  tears,  the  daughter's  lips  parted 
with  something  holier  than  a  smile. 

"  Yes,"  she  fervently  continued,  kissing  her 
confessor's  hand,  "  let  me  begin  my  mission 
now. " 

1  "  Come  to  me  after  the  Angelus,  bring  your 
cousin  and  her  friend  ;  if  I  permit  you  then, 
remember,  it  will  the  exception,  not  the  rule." 

One  by  one  the  candles  on  the  altar  were 
lighted,  and  Melville  could  see  Lei,  kneeling  or 
leaning  forward,  he  knew  not  which ;  but  still 
there  was  no  sign  of  Agnes.  Presently  a  sweet- 
toned  bell  began  to  ring,  and  then  a  rustling 
was  heard,  as  a  hundred  girls,  two  by  two,  and 
a  hundred  sisters,  entered  the  chapel.  Melville 
had  bestowed  only  a  careless  glance  on  the 
exquisite  marble  work  of  the  altar,  and  was 
examining  a  fine  painting  in  the  gleam  on  the 
opposite  wall,  when  a  figure  appeared  through 
the  side  door  of  the  sacristy  and  knelt  in  the 
front  seat.  It  was  Agnes  !  But  never  till  then 
had  Melville  seen  the  expression  at  which  he 
wondered  kindled  into  such  active  power;  it 
was  as  if  a  bud,  already  marked  as  the  fairest  in 
the  garden,  had  burst  into  a  flower  more  rare, 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  67 

more  fragrant,  more  beautiful  than  all  the  prom 
ise  of  spring.  The  mellow  light  streamed  full 
on  her  face,  revealing  the  glory  which  invests 
the  body,  when,  detached  from  earth  without 
the  bitterness  of  death,  the  soul  mounts  on  the 
wings  of  faith  to  commune  with  its  Redeemer. 
He  could-not  turn  away  from  the  apparition,  he 
feared  lest  it  should  disappear,  it  was  so  spir 
itual,  so  unreal,  so  angelical.  Agnes  knew  not 
that  any  human  eye  was  on  her,  for  her  own 
was  on  heaven  ;  but  Lei  knew  it. 

The  folding  doors  of  the  sacristy  opened,  the 
confessor,  unattended,  knelt  before  the  blessed 
sacrament,  the  Litany  of  MARY  began.  With 
the  deep  swell  of  the  organ  came  a  clear,  soft 
voice,  intoning,  those  dear,  dear,  ever  dear  epi 
thets  which  the  sanctity  of  ages  has  lovingly 
and  humbly  bestowed  on  the  Virgin  Mother  of 
JESUS,  whilst  the  choir  responded  in  unison, 
*'  Ora  pro  nobis  !  " 

And  when  the  chanting  ceased  the  convent 
bell  again  was  heard,  and  the  Angelus  went 
murmuring  from  the  altar  to  the  choir.  The 
ceremony  was  over ;  too  soon  for  Lei,  too  soon 
for  Melville,  upon  whom  it  left  an  impression  of- 
profound  sadness. 

Agnes  had  displayed  so  much  penetration  and 
resolution  that  her  confessor  was  more  than  half 


68  LOEETTO;    OB,    THE    CHOICE. 

inclined  to  yield  the  point,  but  well  knowing  the 
seraphic  shapes  in  which  the  subtle  fiend  deludes 
innocence  he  deemed  it  more  prudent  to  with 
hold  a  decision  until  he  had  seen  Lei. 

He  had  not  long  to  wait  before  she  entered 
•with  Agnes,  followed  by  Melville  and  Mrs. 
Cleveland.  After  the  ordinary  greetings  of  first 
acquaintance,  he  conducted  them  from  the  sac 
risty  to  a  room  in  a  small  brick  house  adjoin 
ing  the  church,  and  bade  them  warm  themselves 
whilst  he  placed  wine  and  cake  on  the  table. 
As  Mrs.  Cleveland  approached  to  assist  him  he 
whispered,  — 

"  Is  that  young  gentleman  a  relative?" 
"Engaged  to  my  niece,  I  believe." 
"Ag,"  said  Lei,  looking  from  the   ceiling  to 
to  the  floor,  and  scrutinizing  the  window  sashes, 
"  were  we  not  here  once  before  ?  " 
"More  than  once,"  replied  Agnes. 
"  But  you  were  not  here  then  ?  "  resumed  Lei, 
appealing  to  the  confessor. 

"  Xo,  Miss  Almy,  or  I  should  remember  you." 
"  And  I  should  remember  you,  though  I  must 
have  been  a  very  little  girl  then.  What  has 
become  of  your  predecessor,  the  old  gentleman 
in  spectacles,  who  looked  like  a  prophet,  and 
told  me  that  I  would  one  day  be  a  better  Catho 
lic  than  Asmes  ?  " 


LORETTO;    OR,   THE   CHOICE.  69 

"  Father  Thomas,"  suggested  Agnes. 

"  Yes !  "  cried  Lei,  eagerly,  as  the  name  recalled 
his  image  more  vividly.  - 

"  He  is  enjoying,  I  trust,  the  full  reward  of 
his  pious  labors,"  answered  the  priest,  "and 
perhaps  praying  now  amidst  the  angels  for  the 
fulfilment  of  his  prophecy.  Miss  Almy,"  he 
continued,  presenting  her  a  glass  of  wine,  "there 
is  a  milk-white  lamb  amongst  these  hills,  whom 
we  love  and  watch  most  tenderly,  and  you  have 
come  to  steal  her  from  us." 

Lei  was  silent. 

"  You  have  made  her  believe  that  our  country 
fields  afford  poor  nourishment,  and  taught  her  to 
sigh  for  more  alluring  pastures." 

Lei  was  silent,  Melville  restless. 

"  You  would  have  her  forsake  the  simple  herb 
age  that  has  hitherto  sustained  her,  to  crop  the 
hot-house  plants  which  may  poison  as  soon  as 
tasted." 

"  You  do  her  too  much  injustice,"  objected 
Melville. 

"  Are  you  too  in  the  conspiracy,  Mr.  Melville  ? 
There  are  four  against  me  then,"  retorted  the 
confessor,  looking  from  one  to  the  other." 

"As  suppliants  only,  not  extortioners,"  added 
Lei,  turning  away  as  if  to  examine  a  proof 
engraving  of  the  Last  Supper. 


70  LORETTO;   OR,   THE   CHOICE. 

The  good  priest  had  at  last  made  up  his  mind, 
and  taking  Agnes  by  the  hand,  he  said , — ' 

"  And  for  how  long,  my  child,  would  you 
leave  us  ?  " 

"  For  a  month." 

"  Miss  Almy,  you  must  turn  your  back  on  me 
no  longer.  I  own  myself  vanquished  and  com 
mit  your  cousin  to  your  keeping  for  a  month !  " 

Melville  bowed  deeply,  and  thanked  him  cor 
dially,  whilst  Agnes  crossed  over  to  Lei,  who 
was  still  examining  the  picture. 

"  Why,  Lei ! "  exclaimed  Agnes,  completely 
taken  by  surprise,  as  Lei,  who  had  been  vainly 
struggling  with  her  tears,  fell  weeping  on  her 
neck. 

"  Strange,  strange  girl,"  murmured  Melville 
to  himself.  "  When  shall  I  ever  know  her  real 
character ! " 

"Tears  of  joy,  my  child?"  inquired  the  con 
fessor,  touched  by  her  emotion. 

"  No,  sir,"  cried  Lei,  "  tears  of  sorrow !  I 
could  not  ask  your  consent  because  in  my 
inmost  soul  I  did  not  wish  it.  Up  to  this 
moment  I  have  labored  incessantly  to  induce 
Agnes  to  accompany  me  home,  but  my  heart 
failed  me  at  the  dawn  of  success ;  and  were  I 
not  prevented  by"  —  her  promise  to  her  uncle 
flashed  across  her,  —  "by  —  by  violating  every 


LORETTO  ;   OK,    THE    CHOICE.  71 

rule  of  propriety  and  respect,  I  would  supplicate 
you  now  to  retract  your  permission." 

"  Which  I  should  never  do,"  said  the  priest, 
who  saw  the  beautiful  soul  of  which  Agnes 
spoke,  shining  through  the  tears  in  Lei's  eyes. 

"  Place  her  not  in  my  keeping !  "  continued 
Lei,  with  mournful  earnestness,  "  I  am  not  worthy 
of  so  holy  a  charge  !  " 

"  Then  in  God's  keeping !  I  relieve  you  of 
responsibility ; "  and  from  that  moment  the 
name  of  Ellen  Almy  became  an  altar-word ; 
and  throughout  that  peaceful  convent  there  were 
prayers  offered  up  from  many  a  pure  heart  for 
her  peace  and  happiness. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

HAT  night  Lei  had  a  dream.  She 
dreamed  that  she  was  in  the  Convent 
Chapel,  alone  —  at  midnight ;  that  as 
she  was  kneeling  there,  a  lady,  whose  face  was 
concealed  by  a  white  veil  spangled  with  stars, 
appeared  upon  the  altar.  Slowly  and  noiselessly 
the  figure  moved  towards  her  and  stood  over 
her,  the  veil  was  uplifted  — it  was  her  mother! 
Noi  the  pale,  cold  body  she  had  seen  in  the 


72  LOBETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

coffin,  but  the  mild,  warm,  bright  being,  whose 
breast  had  once  been  her  home,  the  living 

'  O 

mother  of  other  days.  She  dreamed  that  her 
mother  kissed  her,  saying,  "  I  have  come  to  life 
again,  you  are  no  longer  motherless ;  though 
invisible,  I  will  be  ever  at  your  side  to  hear  your 
lowest  whisper,  and  grant  whatever  a  parent's 
love  may  bestow.  Sleeping  or  waking,  I  shall 
watch  over  you,  go  where  you  will  I  am  with 
you,  and  though  years  and  years  may  pass  before 
we  meet  again,  remember  that  your  mother 
lives ! " 

The  figure  receded  to  the  altar,  as  if  wafted 
back  by  unseen  wings ;  a  smile  of  more  than 
mortal  sweetness  overspread  her  face,  and  from 
her  hands  and  forehead  streamed  forth  rays  of 
glory,  bathing  the  sanctuary  in  light.  It  was 
still  her  mother's  form,  but  not  her  mother,  not 
the  mother  who  had  died ;  but  one  like  her,  only 
far  more  beautiful,  far  more  powerful,  and  in 
loving  whom  she  had  loved  her  parent,  too.  It 
was  still  her  mother,  but  more  than  her  mother ! 

"  O  Holy  One,  leave  me  not ! "  trembled  on 
her  lips,  as  the  lovely  vision  seemed  about  to 
lose  itself  in  excess  of  light ;  but  in  the  effort  to 
speak  she  awoke  with  a  Christmas  sun  beaming 
full  on  her  face.  It  was  nine  o'clock. 

"  I  thought  you  were  never  going  to  wake," 


LOKETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  73 

said  Agnes.  "  Do  you  know  that  you  have  been 
crying  in  your  sleep  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  I  have  had  such  a  dream,"  sighed  Lei, 
pressing  the  tears  from  her  eyelids.  "  I  dreamed 
that  my  mother  was  living  and  appeared  to  me ; 
how  beautiful  she  was !  And  now  that  you 
smile,  you  remind  me  of  the  look  she  gave  me 
as  she  vanished.  Ag,  when  I  first  woke  and 
saw  you  kneeling  there  I  thought  you  were  an 
angel." 

"  I  wish  I  were,  Lei,  if  only  to  be  your  guard 
ian." 

"What  have  you  been  doing  to  yourself  this 
morning  ?  " 

"  Nothing.     What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Have  you  been  riding  ?  "  pursued  Lei,  after  a 
pause. 

"  I  rode  to  the  Convent  with  mother."    k 

"  What  took  you  there  so  early  ?  " 

"  To  go  to  communion." 

"  To  communion,"  murmured  Lei,  resting  her 
cheek  on  her  hand ;  then  turning  fondly  to 
her  friend,  she  said,  "  Agnes,  do  you  think 
that  if  I  had  been  to  communion  I  should  look 
as  you  do  now  ?  If  I  thought  so  I  might  — 
Do  you  really  mean  to  go  home  with  me  to 
morrow  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Agnes,  laughing. 


74  LORETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  Yes  ?  "  echoed  Lei,  adding  sadly  and  slowly, 
"  May  I  never  hear  music  again  if  I  am  not  sorry 
for  it ! " 

The  Colonel  was  getting  ready  for  church. 
Christmas,  he  said,  was  one  of  the  few  festivals 
in  the  year  when  it  became  imperative  on  every 
thorough-bred  gentleman  to  appear  in  his  pew, 
just  to  show  that  Christianity  was  a  very 
good  thing  in  its  way,  and  to  encourage  the 
lower  classes  in  their  harmless  devotions.  There 
was  a  smack  of  vulgarity  in  staying  home  on  such 
an  occasion  ;  it  savored  of  false  aristocracy ;  men 
ought  to  concede  something  to  the  practice  of 
their  ancestors  and  the  prejudices  of  their  neigh 
bors  ;  in  short,  he  owed  it  to  himself  and  the 
community  to  go  to  church.  A  landholder  of 
liberal  tastes  and  fine  impulses  was,  of  course, 
not  required  -to  hear  mass  as  regularly  as  a  daily 
laborer  or  a  woman  ;  but  still  it  was  incumbent 
on  every  admirer  of  the  Gospel  to  make  some 
public  acknowledgment,  once  in  a  while,  of  his 
respect  for  Christianity  and  his  want  of  sympathy 
with  atheism.  Besides  this,  there  was  a  drop  of 
Catholic  blood  in  the  old  man's  heart,  which  ran 
thrilling  through  his  veins  at  the  sound  of  the 
Christmas  mass-bell,  startling  his  well-contented 
conscience  an  instant  from  its  slumbers. 


LORETTO  ;    OB,    THE    CHOICE.  75 

The  Colonel  had  already  bestowed  an  hour  on 
his  toilet,  and  with  Charley's  assistance  it  was 
nearly  complete.  Touched  by  the  keen  edge  of 
his  favorite  razor,  his  chin  was  as  smooth  as  an 
infant's,  his  hair  was  richly  powdered,  his  white 
cravat  tied  in  faultless  symmetry.  No  wonder 
he  stood  before  the  glass  so  complacently  arrang 
ing  his  ruffles,  whilst  Charley  brushed  his  best 
coat,  for  he  was  hale,  hearty,  and  handsome ; 
and,  with  his  well-turned  limbs,  his  imposing 
carriage,  his  rich  complexion,  so  peculiar  to  the 
gentleman  epicure,  his  fine  head  and  delicate 
hands,  he  was  at  that  moment  a  study  for  an 
artist. 

"  Brush  it  well,  my  boy,"  said  the  Colonel, 
anxious  to  be  seen  to  all  possible  advantage  ;  for 
he  knew  that  his  appearance  in  church  was  ex 
pected  by  all  the  parish  ;  that  his  entrance  could 
not  in  the  nature  of  things  be  unobserved  ;  that 
after  service  every  eye  would  be  on  him. 

"  Not  a  speck  !  '*•  cried  the  old  man,  diligently 
examining  the  coat  and  taking  a  gold-piece  from 
his  waistcoat  pocket.  "  Have  you  heard  mass, 
Charley  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  three  masses." 

«  That's  right." 

"  And  I  went  to  communion  with  mistress." 

"  You're  a  good  boy,  Charley,"  giving  him  the 


76  LORETTO  J    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

gold-piece.  "  "Why,  you  bow  equal  to  a  dancing- 
master  or  a  Muscovy  cluck.  Now  get  my  hat  — 
I  wish  it  were  a  few  years  younger  —  but  it  will 
do  —  it  will  do. 

"  I  never  saw  you  look  so  well  in  ray  life,  sir," 
whispered  Charley,  timidly,  as  he  dexterously 
applied  the  brush  for  the  last  time,  and  drew 
back  to  contemplate  his  master  in  humble  ad 
miration. 

"  Ha !  ha !  "  laughed  the  Colonel,  not  at  all  dis 
pleased  ;  "  I  thank  you  for  the  Christmas  gift, 
especially,"  he  internally  concluded,  "  as  it  is  not 
undeserved.  Now,  my  boy,  get  the  carriage.  I 
will  drive.  I  expect  to  find  dinner  and  the  pre 
sents  comme  il  faut  on  my  return  !  " 

"  Comme  ilfaut ! "  replied  Charley,  who  had 
the  words  like  a  parrot. 

"Stop!  my  cane!" — another  glance  in  the 
mirror,  another  rub  of  the  chin,  another  pull  at 
his  waistbands,  and  the  Colonel  was  ready  for 
church. 

A  Christmas  Mass  is  always  beautiful ;  beau 
tiful  in  the  Cathedral,  where  nave  and  aisle  are 
crowded  with  the  rich  and  poor,  thronging  to 
hear  "  the  glad  tidings  /  "  where  a  thousand  faces 
are  beaming  in  reverent  joy,  as  amid  incense  and 
immortal  music  the  pontifical  ceremonies  pro 
ceed  ;  beautiful  in  the  country  church,  where  a 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  77 

single  priest  intones  the  same  unchanging  service, 
where  many  a  youth  and  maiden,  many  a  father 
arid  mother  in  the  decline  of  life,  who  have  walked 
six  miles  or  more,  fasting,  are  humbly  expecting 
Communion,  with  a  holy  earnestness,  through 
•which  no  trace  of  corporal  fatigue  is  seen  ;  but 
still  moi'e  beautiful  is  it  in  a  Convent  Chapel, 
•with  the  whole  community  assembled  to  hail  the 
Nativity  of  the  infant  JESUS,  one  of  the  glorious 
feasts  for  which  they  have  renounced  earth's 
meaner  banquets,  one  of  the  blessed  days  which 
more  than  repay  them  for  the  brittle  trinkets 
they  have  resigned.  Take  the  rapture  of  the 
queen  of  beauty  when  the  ball  is  at  its  height, — 
take  the  exultation  of  a  true-hearted  patriot,  or 
the  feigned  transports  of  a  maudlin  politician  on 
some  time-honored  national  holiday  —  combine 
both,  yet  how  poor,  how  false,  how  feeble  are 
they  if  contrasted  with  the  calm  delight  felt  by  a 
religious  community  when  celebrating  the  grand 
festivals  of  the  Church !  Christmas  is  not  the 
time  to  pity  the  recluse ;  and  even  the  Colonel, 
after  an  attentive  perusal  of  the  blissful  faces 
before  him,  "wondered  how  so  much  sweet  con 
tent,  so  much  radiant  joy,  could  lurk  beneath  a 
sister's  plain  black  cap,  and  had  a  better  opinion 
of  the  cloister. 

The  service  was  over ;   the  small  congregation 


78  LORETTO  J    OB,    THE    CHOICE. 

gathered  round  their  pastor,  who  had  a  smile,  a 
word,  a  blessing  for  all ;  for  the  aged  men  and 
women  who  shook  his  hands  ;  for  the  young  who 
blushed  as  he  saluted  them ;  for  the  urchins  who 
clung  laughing  to  his  cassock,  begging  for  their 

O  O  O  '  OO         O 

pictures  and  their  medals. 

Nor  was  the  Colonel  forgotten.  Deeply  as  he 
bowed  to  the  confessor,  he  was  careful  to  pre 
serve  the  demeanor  of  one  who  was  conferring 
quite  as  great  an  honor  as  he  received.  And  oh  ! 
his  air  of  inimitable,  and  well-nigh  imperceptible 
condescension,  when  patting  his  country  friends 
familiarly  on  the  shoulder,  he  said  in  measured 
syllables,  as  they  approached  him  in  regular  file : 
"  I  expect  you  all  at  Loretto." 

During  this  scene,  the  confessor  had  beckoned 
Agnes  into  the  sacristy  to  say  a  few  parting 
words.  When  they  came  forth,  Agnes  was  weep 
ing,  and  Lei's  keen  eye  could  detect  the  ghost  of 
a  tear,  as  she  called  it,  wandering  over  the  good 
old  father's  cheek. 

"Good-by!"  It  was  soon  said,  but  long  re 
membered. 

"What's  that  on  the  porch  ?"  inquired  Lei,  as 
they  neared  Loretto ;  "  and  why  are  all  these 
people  following  us  ?  " 

The  Colonel  smiled  sagaciously.  Lei,  still  star 
ing  in  amazement,  continued,  "  Uncle,  upon  my 


LOEETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  1 9 

word,  your  cottage  has  been  metamorphosed  into 
an  admiral's  flag-ship." 

She  sprang  from  the  carriage  as  soon  as  it 
stopped,  and  found  a  tall  Christmas  bush  at  each 
end  of  the  porch  ;  whilst  shawls,  cloaks,  comforts, 
blankets,  swung  in  festoons  from  the  ropes  con 
necting  the  columns. 

"What  in  the  name  of  all  that's  most  myste 
rious  is  the  meaning  of  this?"  ejaculated  the  be 
wildered  girl.  "  Do  you  mean  to  have  a  fancy 
ball?" 

But  the  mystery  was  soon  unravelled,  as  the 
whole  population  of  the  district,  young  and  old, 
seemed  to  pour  itself  into  Loretto.  It  was  the 
Colonel's  Christmas-srift  to  the  neighborhood. 

O  O 

The  Colonel  stood  on  the  nicely  gravelled 
walk,  his  hand  thrust  blandly  into  his  buff  waist 
coat,  whilst  Charley  and  Mrs.  Cleveland  unrobed 
the  bushes  for  the  children,  and  presented  the 
more  serviceable  gifts  —  each  was  labelled  —  to 
its  owner.  And  here  Charley  and  the  Colonel  re 
versed  their  position  in  the  trout  season  ;  for 
during  the  distribution,  the  Colonel  spoke  of 
the  crops,  the  weather,  the  country  assizes,  the 
European  news,  the  scarcity  of  partridges,  with 
out  seeming  to  have  the  slightest  interest  in 

O  O 

what  was  going  on,  whilst  Charley  claimed  nil 
the-  thanks  and  smiles  as  pompously  and  perti- 


80  LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

. 

naciously  as  if  he  had  been  the  real  benefactor. 
But  in  truth  it  was  a  spectacle  worth  contem 
plating  ;  reminding  one  of  the  times  when  such 
acts  of  benevolence  were  daily  witnessed  at  the 
abbey  gates,  which  are  now  in  ruins,  or  closed  to 
all  who  come  in  poverty  instead  of  titled  splendor. 
"Whether  through  Charley  or  the  Colonel,  or 
from  Lei  herself,  it  was  soon  ascertained  that 
Agnes  would  leave  in  the  morning  for  the  citv  : 

O  O  v      ' 

and  all  their  joy  was  turned  to  sorrow.  Tears 
clouded  the  eyes  which  had  been  brightly  beam 
ing,  and  she  could  scarcely  pacify  them  by  prom 
ising  a  speedy  return  ;  for  they  loved  her  to 
jealousy  and  feared  to  lose  her.  Lei,  perceiving 
from  the  dark  looks  cast  on  her,  that  she  had 
become  an  object  of  suspicion  and  dislike,  re 
treated  into  the  parlor,  saying  to  Melville,  — 

"I  shall  be  mobbed  if  I  remain." 

Nor  did  she  venture  forth  until  the  crowd  had 
dispersed,  and  Charley  was  taking  down  the 
bare  ropes. 

"  Well !  "  cried  Lei,  playing  with  her  uncle's 
ruffle,  "  if  you  are  not  original  there's  no  eccen 
tricity  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  Am  I  in  fairy 
land  ?  When  shall  I  forget  this  memorable  visit 
to  Loretto  ?  " 

"Never!"  whispered  a  low  voice  in  her  ear, 
and  she  felt  her  cousin's  lips  on  her  cheek. 


LORETTO  ;    OK,   THE   CHOICE.  81 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

.  RS.  CLEVELAND,  Melville,  and  Agnes, 
were  at  vespers ;  Lei  and  her  uncle  had 


the  cottage  to  themselves. 

"  What  ails  you,  pet  ? "  said  the  Colonel ; 
"you  are  pale." 

"  I  have  a  headache,"  replied  Lei. 

"  Is  that  all  ?  I  have  a  homoeopathic  pill  up 
stairs  that  will  cure  you  in  five  minutes." 

"  Stop,  uncle,"  said  Lei,  detaining  him,  "  have 
you  one  that  will  cure  the  heartache,  too?" 

"  Eh  ! "  whispered  the  old  gentleman,  with  a 
most  knowing  look,  drawing  closer  to  his  niece, 
"are  you  afflicted  with  the  heartache?  You, 
my  rattling,  prattling,  romping,  laughing,  merry, 
mischief-making  mistress  ?  Come.  I'll  cure 
you  in  half  an  hour ;  put  on  your  bonnet." 

"A  walk!"  cried  Lei,  who  longed  for  the 
fresh  air. 

Arm-in-arm  they  sallied  forth.  The  afternoon 
was  as  mild  and  bright  as  the  spring,  and  the 
horizon  was  wrapped  in  a  deep,  mellow  haze. 
They  soon  left  the  road  for  a  path  that  wound 
up  the  hill,  and  here,  for  better  walking,  they 
had  to  part  company.  For  a  time  the  Colonel 
led  the  way  with  more  agility  and  ease  than 


82  LORETTO;    OE,    THE    CHOICE. 

one  would  imagine,  plying  his  stick  with  the 
dexterity  of  a  Swiss  mountaineer.  Lei  followed 
quietly  until  near  the  summit,  then  at  every 
step  her  eye  and  cheek  grew  brighter  and 
brighter,  and  passing  her  uncle  with  a  bound, 
she  sprang  forward  like  a  deer  towards  the  high 
rock  that  crowned  the  hill.  While  he  was  still 
panting  and  puffing  up  the  ascent  Lei  had 
climbed  the  rock.  There  she  stood,  balanced 
on  a  sharp  splinter  of  stone,  all  glowing  from 
the  exercise,  her  bonnet  dangling  from  her 
wrist,  her  hair  breaking  from  its  golden  coil  to 
sweep  over  her  neck. 

"  Now  I  can  breathe,"  she  exclaimed,  extend 
ing  her  arms  as  if  to  embrace  the  free  air,  and 
glancing  down  on  the  wide  circle  beneath  her, 
"  now  I  can  breathe." 

The  Colonel  was  by  no  means  poetical,  yet  it 
cost  him  some  minutes  to  persuade  himself  that 
the  aerial  figure  before  him  so  clearly  marked 
against  the  flushing  western  sky  was  his  own 
niece  Lei ;  and  he  could  not  help  believing  that 
had  he  been  twenty  years  younger  he  would 
have  fled  in  terror  and  reported  the  hill  as 
sacred  as  Parnassus. 

"How's  the  heartache,  Lei?"  he  cried,  climb 
ing  to  her  side. 

"Better." 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE,  83 

"And  the  headache?" 

"  Gone.  But  I  .am  ruined,  ruined,  utterly 
ruined.  I  shall  never  love  the  city  again;  Lo- 
retto  has  poisoned  my  home;  my  heart  is  among 
these  hills.  See  how  the  sun  plunges  into  that 
gorge,  making  those  bare  trees  beautiful ;  see 
how  it  runs  a  race  with  your  trout  stream,  caper 
ing  there  through  those  velvet  fields  of  young 
wheat." 

"  So  ho !  "  shouted  the  Colonel,  as  she  paused. 
"  My  young  enthusiast,  methinks  I  see  you  iu 
your  father's  parlor  shaking  off  our  dust  from 
your  feet,  and  solemnly  vowing  never  again  to 
visit  our  barbarous  solitude.  Isn't  it  so  ? " 
asked  the  Colonel,  expecting  an  impassioned 
negative,  —  and  he  got  it. 

"  But,"  continued  Lei,  dropping  her  head, 
"in  a  few  weeks  I  should  forget  you  all  and 
have  as  keen  a  relish  for  morning  calls  and  even 
ing  balls  as  I  had  before.  I  should  have  nothing 
on  my  conscience ;  and  now  and  then  a  sweet 
recollection  of  the  cottage,  the  convent,  or  this 
hill  might  steal  over  me  and  be  a  cordial  for  the 
the  heartache.  But  now  " 

"  What's  on  your  conscience  now  ?  "  said  the 
Colonel,  playfully. 

"Agnes,"  replied  Lei.  "Uncle,  must  I  keep 
the  promise  I  have  made  you?" 


84  LORETTO;   OB,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  No,  certainly  not,"  muttered  the  Colonel, 
coldly.  "  I  have  no  authority  to  compel  you  to 
oblige  me." 

"  But  you  have  power,"  returned  Lei,  looking 
him  steadily  in  the  face,  "you  have  power  to 
compel  me  to  sacrifice  myself  to  save  you." 

"  Then,  far  be  it  from  me  to  exercise  a  power 
in  which  I  can  take  so  little  pride  or  pleasure." 

"Let  her  stay,  then,  uncle,  I  beseech  you. 
Tell  her  that,  at  the  last  moment,  you  cannot 
consent  to  part  with  her.  Dear,  dear  uncle,  do 
this  and  save  her,  save  me.  You  may  have  her 
back  a  woman  of  the  world,  but  never,  never  as 
she  is  now." 

"  Nonsense,"  cried  the  Colonel.  "  Isn't  it  a 
•woman's  business  on  earth  to  be  a  woman  of  the 
world  ?  Do  you  want  her  to  be  a  woman  of  the 
sun,  the  moon,  the  stars?  Do  you  want  her  to 
stand  apart  from  humanity,  a  cold,  unfamiliar* 
uninstructed,  uncongenial  thing,  a  being  out  of 
place,  an  isolated  unit  ?  Give  me  a  woman  who 
possesses  all  the  graces  with  which  the  refine 
ment  of  centuries  has  adorned  polite  society ; 
whose  words,  motions,  actions  are  tuned  to  ease 
and  elegance ;  who  polishes  her  manners  for  the 
delight  of  all,  and  instructs  her  heart  for  the 
love  of  one.  Such  is  a  woman  of  the  world, 
and  honored  be  the  title." 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  85 

"  Such  may  be  a  woman  of  the  world,"  said 
Lei ;  "  but  I  would  rather  be  a  milkmaid,  untu 
tored  and  neglected,  with  one  true  friend  to 
love  me,  than  shine  as  a  woman  of  the  world 
from  now  till  doomsday.  Uncle,  I  have  some 
experience,  and  I  arn  inclined  to  think  a  woman 
of  the  world  one  of  the  humbugs  of  the  day." 

"What  are  you,  then?"  rejoined  the  Colonel, 
tartly. 

"  As  complete  a  humbug  as  ever  existed  ;  and 
yet  I'm  only  an  approximation  to  a  woman  of 
the  world.  Some  years  hence,  if  I  remain 
single,  my  education  shall  be  perfected  ;  I  shall 
then  have  condensed  into  this  little  body  of 
mine  the  congregated  graces  of  nineteen  cen 
turies  ;  I  shall  subdue  impulse  and  be  elegant 
by  rule,  fascinate  my  friends  by  my  manners, 
and  win  a  husband  by  my  interior  worth." 

"You  misrepresent  and  mock  me,  girl,"  said 
the  Colonel,  sternly  and  sadly. 

"  Then  forgive  me,''  said  Lei,  kissing  him. 
"  What  I  mean  to  say  is  this :  that  in  the  fash 
ionable  life  to  which  I  must  introduce  Agnes 
there  is  such  a  decided  preponderance  of  the 
bad  and  silly  over  the  good  and  elegant  that  she 
will  lose  more  than  she  gains.  I  admit  that  I 
love  the  life  I  have  been  leading,  that  I  would 
not  willingly  resign  it ;  it  is  only  at  times  that 


86  LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

I  feel,  as  now  I  do,  the  emptiness,  the  nothing 
ness  of  our  pomp  and  etiquette,  but  when  the 
feeling  comes,  I  despise  myself." 

"  Most  unreasonably." 

"  Perhaps  so.  But  Agnes  is  not  made  for  this 
w6rld." 

"  Is  she  made  for  a  convent?" 

"It  seems  to  me  that  she  is  made  to  spend 
her  days  at  Loretto,  and  die  as  she  closes  your 
old  eyes." 

"Lei,"  began  the  Colonel,  with  much  hesita 
tion,  "be  candid.  Have  you  not  some  other 
reason  for  wishing  your  cousin  to  remain  here?  " 

"  None  !  "  said  Lei,  as  unsuspecting  as  a  child. 

"None?"  repeated  the  Colonel,  with  a  search 
ing  gaze. 

"  Look  deep,"  said  Lei,  laughing,  though  her 
neck  arched  slightly,  "look  deep  and  read  what 
you  can  see  ! " 

"  I  read,"  resumed  the  Colonel,  in  a  whisper, 
"  that  AOTCS  Cleveland  is  beautiful  —  that  George 

O  <^> 

Melville  sees  it  —  that  Ellen  Almy  fears  it." 

Lei's  face  was  crimson  in  an  instant,  and  then 
pale  as  death,  as  she  muttered  indignantly, — 

"  Fear  it !  "  and  stood  motionless,  as  if  rooted 
to  the  rock.  Then,  with  a  flashing  eye  and  quiv 
ering  lip,  she  slowly  raised  her  finger,  and  scan 
ning  the  Colonel  from  head  to  foot,  until  he 


LOKETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE.  87 

fairly  quailed,  exclaimed,  half  in  pity  and  half 
in  anger, — 

"Oh  uncle,  uncle!" 

"I  was  jesting,  Lei,"  he  said,  approaching  her. 

"  You  were  not!"  she  cried,  as  the  warm 
blood  rushed  back  to  her  cheeks.  "  But  let  it 
pass."  And  without  another  syllable  she  tied 
her  bonnet  on  and  descended  the  rock,  the 
Colonel  following  sadly  and  silently.  Not  a 
word  passed  between  them  until  they  gained 
the  road,  though  they  walked  side  by  side.  The 
Colonel  was  breathing  heavily,  as  if  unusually 
fatigued,  and  he  coughed  almost  incessantly. 
Lei,  remarking  it,  slackened  her  pace  to  watch 
him  as  he  passed  her.  She  could  not  see  his 
face  well,  for  his  head  was  deeply  inclined ;  but 
she  could  see  his  hand,  ever  and  anon,  nervously 
applied  to  his  eyes.  Her  very  soul  melted  at  the 
sight,  and  stealing  close  to  his  side  she  laid  her 
hand  upon  his  shoulder.  He  started  as  if  stung 
by  a  serpent,  and  catching  the  merciful  gleam  of 
Lei's  clear,  loving  eye,  pressed  her  with  a  long 
sob  to  his  bosom. 

"  Oh,  my  child,  my  child,  forgive  me ! "  was 
all  he  could  say.  But  this  was  enough,  more 
than  enough  for  the  generous  girl. 

"  I  was  a  fool  to  mind  you,"  she  said,  "  and 
worse  than  a  fool  to  fly  at  you  like  a  blind  bat." 


88  LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

"I  thought  you  a  woman,"  he  added,  "but 
you  are  move  than  a  woman  !  " 

"  Not  more  than  a  woman,  uncle  ;  only  more 
than  a  woman  of  the  world." 

Thus  Baying,  she  wound  her  arm  around  his, 
and  sang  for  him  'until  they  reached  the  white 
palings  of  Loretto. 

Mrs.  Cleveland,  Agnes,  and  Melville  had  re 
turned  from  vespers  and  were  grouped  around 
the  fire.  But  it  was  no  longer  the  same  cheerful 

O 

group  we  have  more  than  once  described ;  a 
shadow  had  fallen  on  the  hearth ;  the  note  of  the 
crackling  wood  was  more  like  a  sigh  than  a  song. 
Lei  made  no  attempt  at  merriment;  she  found 
the  silence  so  much  more  grateful  than  conver 
sation.  Now  and  then  a  trivial  question  and 
answer  was  exchanged ;  but  it  meant  nothing. 
Though  each  saw  that  the  other  was  thinking  of 
the  morrow,  they  kneAV  that  it  required  but  a 
word  to  conjure  up  the  parting  scene  too  vividly  ; 
so,  in  mutual  charity,  they  carefully  avoided  the 
subject.  Agnes,  herself,  seemed  to  feel  the  least. 
It  may  have  been  that  she  did  not  realize  the 
coming  separation  ;  that  to  her,  as  to  most  young 
persons,  there  was  a  vague  sense  of  pleasure 
in  any  change,  or  that  resignation  and  hope 
rendered  her  calmer.  Thus  passed  a  very  long 
hour. 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  89 

We  cannot  dwell  on  an  evening  like  this ;  it 
is  better  imagined  than  described.  After  tea 
Melville  and  the  Colonel  played  chess,  whilst 
Mrs.  Cleveland  sat  between  her  daughter  and 
her  niece.  She  addressed  herself  chiefly  to  Lei, 
and,  with  all  a  mother's  tenderness  and  minute 
ness,  described  the  course  she  wished  her  to 
observe  towards  Agnes ;  for  though  the  separa 
tion  was  to  be  brief,  it  was  the  first  experiment, 
and  suggested  a  multitude  of  fears.  And  besides 
this,  Agnes  was  peculiarly  circumstanced,  and 
might  feel  no  inclination  to  participate  in  the 
amusements  Avhich  others  found  so  delightful. 
She  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  apprise  Lei  of 
her  daughter's  intention  ;  most  likely,  as  Agnes 
believed,  the  Colonel  had  already  told  her. 

Lei  trembled  as  the  anxious  mother  spoke  of 
the  confidence  she  reposed  in  her  judgment, 
sincerity,  and  love  ;  of  the  sacredness  of  the  treas 
ure  she  was  about  to  entrust  her  with.  Her  sole 
reply  was  to  press  her  aunt's  hand  to  her  lips 
as  Agnes  and  her  mother  rose  to  leave  the  room. 
We  shall  not  follow  them.  It  is  well  at  times, 
like  the  ancient  artist,  to  veil  the  workings  of 
a  parent's  heart. 

Lei  had  a  never-failing  friend  and  comforter  in 
the  piano.  At  home  it  served  to  clinse  away 
many  a  sad  thought,  and  she  found  it  equally  val- 


90  LOBETTO  ;    OE,    THE    CHOICE. 

uable  at  Loretto.  She  opened  it,  instinctively, 
and  began  to  play.  Melville,  by  dint  of  constant 
watchfulness  and  reflection,  had  contrived  to  let 
the  Colonel  beat  him.  But,  as  may  have  been 
noticed,  Lei's  music  laid  a  spell  on  him.  His  at 
tention  was  entirely  withdrawn  from  the  game, 
and,  playing  without  proper  precaution,  he  made 
such  havoc  with  the  old  man's  pieces  as  nearly 
to  cost  him  the  Colonel's  good  opinion. 

However,  the  night  was  wearing  away;  the 
piano  was  closed ;  the  mimic  armies  slept  peace 
fully  in  the  same  tent.  Lei  had  scarcely  entered 
her  room  when  she  heard  a  tap  at  the  door.  It 
was  the  Colonel ;  he  held  in  his  hand  a  string  of 
pearls  which  he  threw  around  her  neck.  Many  a 
lady  would  have  received  it,  many  rejected  it  as 
a  bribe  ;  but  Lei,  with  truer  feeling,  recognized 
it  as  a  peace  offering,  which  it  were  false  pride 
or  cruelty  to  reject. 

"  You  have  made  me  a  promise,  Lei,"  he  said, 
patting  her  on  the  head,  "  a  promise  which  you 
repent.  I  release  you  from  it,  and  trust  all  to 
your  own  good  heart." 

Before  she  could  reply  he  had  left  the  room. 
A  load  was  taken  from  her  heart ;  the  thorn  was 
plucked  from  her  pillow ;  and  long  before  Agnes 
left  her  mother  she  was  sleeping  happily. 

They  breakfasted  by  candle-light,  for  the  roads 


LORETTO;   OR,    THE    CHOICE.  91 

were  bad,  and  they  had  to  take  the  stage  at  seven. 
Charley's  eyes  swarn  as  he  handed  the  coffee 
around. 

"Charley,"  said  the  Colonel,  "I  believe  you 
like  Miss  Agnes  more  than  me." 

"No,  I  don't,  sir,"  stammered  the  boy;  "I'd 
cry  more  for  her,  but  I'd  do  more  for  you." 

"  Then  be  sure  you  are  in  time  for  the  stage." 

The  carriage  was  at  the  door.  "Not  a  minute 
to  spare,"  cried  the  Colonel,  tearing  Agnes  from 
her  mother's  arms.  "  You  are  not  parting  for  a 
century.  Let  her  go,  sister,  she's  not  going  round 
Cape  Horn.  Good-by,  Melville,  God  bless  you, 
sir ;  you  know  where  to  find  us  again.  The  trout 
will  soon  be  at  us  —  fine  place  this  in  spring  and 
summer;  much  pleasanter  than  now  —  no  com 
parison,  I  assure  you.  Do  come,  do  come.  Good- 
by,  Lei ;  good-by,  Agnes ;  be  good  girls.  Take 
care  of  'em,  Melville.  There  you  are.  Now, 
Charley,  off  we  go.  Good-by ! " 

The  whip  cracked,  the  carriage  rolled  away. 
The  Colonel  stood  on  the  porch  until  they  were 
out  of  sight,  and  then,  embracing  his  sister  ten 
derly,  led  her  into  the  desolate  parlor,  and,  seat 
ing  himself  by  her  side,  whispered  in  her  ear, — 

"  Come,  Mary,  cheer  up !  We  are  not  too  old 
to  be  just  as  happy  together,  now,  as  we  have 
been  for  many  a  year." 


92  LOBETTO;   OK,    THE    CHOICE. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

the  breakfast-room  of  a  large  house 
in  the  most  fashionable  part  of  a  large 
city  sat  Lei's  father.  He  had  just  taken 
tea  alone,  and  was  reading  the  evening  paper  by 
the  light  of  a  well-modeled  Carcel  lamp.  He 
was  a  middle-aged  man,  small,  but  firmly  knit ; 
his  keen  gray  eye,  naturally  quick,  was  so  char 
acterized  by  habit  that  a  stranger  might  honor 
him  at  sight  for  a  shrewd,  successful  man  of  busi 
ness.  There  was  nothing  repulsive  either  in  his 
face  or  person  ;  yet  nothing  positively  attractive. 
He  lacked  the  Colonel's  friendly  air,  his  beam 
ing  smile  of  universal  benevolence  ;  in  fact,  there 
were  no  indications  of  philanthropy  in  Mr.  Almy's 
appearance.  Yet,  on  'change,  no  one  was  more 
honored  for  his  fairness  and  high-toned  liberality  ; 
no  one  more  respected  for  his  accurate  and  ex 
tensive  information  ;  no  one  more  envied  for  his 
uniform  success.  Whenever  blamed,  it  was  for 
too  much  indulgence  to  his  friends,  or  too  much 
boldness  in  his  operations.  Yet  a  very  close  ob_ 
server  might  have  taken  him  for  a  mixture  of 
the  miser  and  the  cynic,  artfully  disguised  be 
neath  a  well-contrived  surface  of  self-sustaining 
dignity. 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  93 

He  had  acquired  great  command  over  liis  coun 
tenance,  which,  usually,  was  composed,  not  placid 
—  there  is  a  vast  difference.  But  now  there 
seemed  to  be  something  painful  on  his  mind  ;  for, 
at  times,  he  dropped  the  paper  and  would  lose 
himself  in  thoughts,  from  which  lie  started  with  a 
sigh.  During  one  of  these  reveries  a  carriage 
stopped  at  the  front  door ;  he  did  not  hear  it. 

"  Here  we  are,  Agnes !  "  cried  Lei. 

Agnes  found  herself  before  a  stately  dwelling, 
whose  pillared  entrance  looked  out  upon  a  noble 
city,  stretching  proudly  away  to  the»distant  river 
glittering  in  the  moonlight.  The  door  flew  open, 
and  Lei,  darting  into  the  breakfast-room,  threw 
her  arms  around  her  father's  neck.  He  kissed 
her  gently  —  to  Agnes  it  seemed  coldly —  on 
the  forehead,  and  then  welcomed  Melville  so 
cordially  that  our  novice  was  surprised  at  the 
contrast.  He  had  seen  Agnes  —  few  things 
escaped  his  quick  vision  —  and,  judging  from  her 
plain  dress  and  timid  bearing,  thought  her  a  wait 
ing-maid  whom  his  eccentric  child  had  imported 
from  Loretto  until  Lei  thus  undeceived  him. 

"  My  dear  father,  there  is  the  sweetest  creature 
that  mortal  eye  ever  rested  on,  in  your  niece, 
Agnes  Cleveland." 

Mr.  Almy  took  a  good  long  look  at  her,  then 
kissed  her,  saying,  — 


94  LORETTO  ;   OR,   THE   CHOICE. 

"You  are  most  welcome,  and  we  shall  all  try 
to  make  you  happy." 

Accustomed  to  warmer  language  Agnes  felt 
her  heart  sink  within  her,  yet  she  managed  to 
smile  a  reply.  At  this  moment  another  was 
added  to  the  group.  No  one  saw  him  enter;  yet 
there  he  stood  amongst  them.  He  was  small, 
delicately  made,  very  pale  and  spare,  and  for  one 
so  young  seemed  to  have  suffered  much  hard 
treatment.  He  reminded  Agnes  of  some  one 
who  was  familiar  to  her;  but  the  person  she 
remembered,  whoever  it  was,  had  a  bright,  laugh 
ing  face,  and  this  stranger  was  sad  almost  to 
severity.  Still  there  was  a  striking  resemblance, 
which  increased  as  he  smiled  on  her.  What  his 
relations  were  to  the  Almys  never  clearly  ap 
peared  ;  he  w*as  one  of  the  household,  with  this 
peculiarity,  that  he  disappeared  with  Lei  and 
was  sure  to  return  with  her ;  but  where  he  went 
remained  a  mystery. 

"  I  knew  you  would  be  here  to  meet  me,"  said 
Lei,  taking  his  hand. 

"I  was  nearly  prevented,"  he  replied;  and 
Agnes  noticed  that  he  spoke  in  a  whisper. 

"My  cousin,  Gabriel,"  resumed  Lei,  intro 
ducing  him  to  Agnes ;  "  he  rarely  speaks  above 
a  whisper.  You  are  now  acquainted  with  the 
whole  family." 


LORETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE.  95 

There  was  something  interesting  in  Gabriel 
which  at  once  attached  Agnes  to  him ;  and  when 
ever  lie  looked  on  her  she  thought  his  expression 
softened,  thus  increasing  the  likeness  she  had 
remarked.  Mr.  Alrny  was  a  little  impatient  of 
his  presence,  and  seemed  to  consider  it  an 
intrusion ;-  whilst  Melville  remained  perfectly 
indifferent. 

Gabriel  took  no  part  in  the  conversation ;  and 
in  the  midst  of  it  would  doze  soundly  for  some 
minutes,  then  wake  up  and  doze  again.  Once, 
as  his  head  drooped,  Agnes  touched  Lei. 

"Poor  fellow!  "  sighed  Lei,  "  they  say  he  has 
a  disease  of  the  heart.  This  drowsiness  is  one  of 
the  symptoms.  But  come ;  you  must  be  tired, 
for  I  can  hardly  keep  7ny  eyes  open.  Excuse  us, 
gentlemen.  Good  night ! " 

Gabriel  left  the  room  with  them. 

"  Now  for  a  chat,  Melville,"  said  Mr.  Almy, 
producing  a  decanter  of  gin ;  "  but  first,  what 
sort  of  a  girl  is  my  niece  ?  " 

"  A  very  superior  Avoman,  I  assure  you." 

"Glad  to  hear  it,"  said  the  merchant;  "I 
thought  as  much.  Plain  looking,  eh  ?  " 

"Do  you  think  so?"  returned  Melville,  in 
unfeigned  astonishment. 

"  Well  —  yes  —  rather,"  pursued  Mr.  Almy, 
sipping  his  toddy.  "If  she  can  take  a  polish, 


96  LORETTO;    OK,    THE   CHOICE. 

though,  she  is  in  good  hands  now.  Have  you 
seen  the  news  from  Europe  —  confoundedly 
black  !  "  —  and  no  further  allusion  was  made  to 
Agnes. 

Mr.  Almy  had  a  sincere  regard  for  Melville ; 
he  prized  him  for  his  generous  nature,  and 
respected  him  as  a  man  of  the  purest  honor.  He 
was  never  happier  than  when  talking  with 
Melville,  Avhose  strong,  lucid  mind  cast  a  light 
on  every  subject  he  touched,  whether  political, 
social,  moral,  or  commercial.  After  the  labors 
of  the  day  it  was  delightful  for  Mr.  Almy  thus  to 
recreate  himself,  and  gradually  reduce  his  excit 
able  nerves  to  a  pleasant  repose  by  the  united 
efficacy  of  new  ideas  and  old  Schiedam.  How 
ever,  Mr.  Almy  found  very  little  entertainment 
or  instruction  in  Melville  that  evening ;  he  was 
often  guilty  of  the  most  provoking  inattention, 
the  most  absurd  opinions ;  and  he  confessed  that 
the  train  of  his  ideas,  as  often  befel  him  in 
travelling,  was  off  the  track. 

As  such  dialogues  are  not  very  entertaining 
we  shift  the  scene,  with  this  single  remark :  that 
Mr.  Almy  did  not  mention  himself  unavoidably 
once,  and  that  Melville,  though  familiar  with 
his  opinions,  was  not  admitted  within  the  well- 
guarded  circle  of  his  feelings.  Or  more  briefly 
and  more  intelligibly,  they  were  rather  com- 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  97 

panions  than  friends,  in  business  and  politics 
communicative  enough,  but  sileut  about  them 
selves. 

"The  Colonel  has  his  sanctum,  and  this  is 
mine,"  said  Lei,  as  she  ushered  Agnes  into  a 
room  communicating  with  her  chamber.  Tho 
room  looked  like  Lei,  and  contained  conveniences 
and  embellishments  enough  to  make  most  girls 
of  fashion  uninterruptedly  happy.  Yet  it  was 
here,  on  that  tempting  lounge,  that  Lei  spent 
many  a  dismal  hour.  She  was  never  so  sad  as 
when  she  mused  there  all  by  herself,  after  break 
fast  or  after  an  evening  feast.  Still,  slie  loved 
her  quiet  sanctuary;  for  its  very  sadness  was 
refreshing  and  salutary. 

Poor  Agnes!  the  exquisite  beauty  and  finish 
of  the  apartment  only  served  to  picture  more 
vividly,  in  contrast,  the  plain  parlor  at  Loretto. 
She  straggled  hard  against  it,  but  nature  was 
too  strong  in  her  young  heart,  and  she  burst 
into  tears.  To  Lei,  crying  was  as  natural  as 
laughing;  but  Agnes  rarely  wept,  and  had 
parted  from  her  mother  with  only  a  sigh.  This 
natural,  but  sudden  heart-break  was  thus  so  pain 
ful  to  Lei  that  even  the  duty  of  consoling  — 
that  mainspring  of  the  female  heart — could  not 
prevent  her  from  mingling  her  tears  with  her 
cousin's. 


98  LOEETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

"Xo  wonder  you  cry,  Ag,"  she  said;  "there's 
no  rejoicing  fire  here  to  welcome  us  with  a  merry 
volley,  or  to  bark  at  our  feet  like  a  faithful  dog ; 
but,  instead  of  this,  the  hot  air  comes  sneaking 
up  through  those  miserable  apertures,  breathing 
a  sickly  heat,  as  if  the  winter  had  a  fever.  If  I 
live  to  see  to-morrow  I'll  have  a  fireplace  cut 
somewhere,  though  we  have  to  run  the  chimney 
horizontally  out  of  that  window." 

Lei  soon  succeeded  in  making  Agnes  laugh, 
and  when  she  thought  the  danger  of  a  relapse 
over,  asked  her  with  an  air  of  inimitable  droll 
ery,  — 

"What  do  you  think  of  my  father?" 

This  was  too  categorical  for  an  answer. 

"Very  unlike  the  Colonel,  isn't  he?" 

Agnes  assented. 

"Don't  you  find  his  manner  cold  and  unpre 
possessing?" 

"  How  can  I  answer  you,  Lei  ?  " 

"  By  telling  the  truth." 

"But  how  can  I  know  the  truth  in  a  glance?" 

"  Poh !  no  evasion  ;  Melville  would  call  yon  a 
special  pleader.  Were  you  not  disappointed  in 
him?" 

"  If  you  must  have  it,"  said  Agnes,  laughing, 
"I  scarcely  noticed  him  after  Gabriel  came  into 
the  room." 


LOnETTO  J    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  99 

"Nevermind  Gabriel  now.  Answer  me,  were 
you  not  disappointed?" 

«  Yes." 

"  I  knew  you  would  be.  If  I  had  met  such  a 
man  at  Loretto  without  knowing  him  he  would 
have  congealed  me  into  an  icicle  in  five  min 
utes."  ' 

"  How  can  you  speak  of  your  father  so  ? " 
said  Agnes,  whose  fine  organ  of  reverence  was 

o  *  o 

shocked. 

"  How  can  I  speak  of  him  otherwise  ? "  re 
turned  Lei;  "he's  so  much  better  than  he  looks 
that  I'm  ashamed  of  his  appearance.  Agnes,  I'll 
bet  you  all  the  hair  on  my  head  against  a  lock 
of  yours  that  you  love  him  in  less  than  a  fort 
night.  I  could  make  you  love  him  now  if  I 
were  to  enumerate  all  his  acts  of  devotion  to  me ; 
I've  forgotten  more  than  half,  but  what  I  re 
member  would  compel  your  affection." 

"  I'm  sure  of  it,"  said  Agnes,  earnestly. 

"  Why,"  resumed  Lei,  warming  as  she  spoke, 
"he  was  left  a  widower  at  thirty;  all  his  habits 
and  feelings  inclined  him  to  matrimony,  and 
he  could  have  chosen  from  the  proudest  and 
fairest  in  the  land,  for  he  was  young,  rich,  and 
gifted.  But  he  did  not  marry,  he  repelled  all 
advances;  why?  because  a  wayward  little  girl 
was  left  him,  love's  only  legacy;  because  the 


100  LORETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

spoiled  child  would  have  withered  under  a 
new  mother,  because  he  prized  the  young  crea 
ture's  happiness  above  his  own,  because  he  loved 
his  daughter  better  than  himself.  I  am  that 
lejjacv,  and  I  have  seen  the  battle  and  the  vic 
tory." 

"  You  have  reason  to  love  him,"  said  Agnes. 

"  Indeed  I  have  !  "  exclaimed  Lei,  with  fervor. 
"  But  could  I  tell  you  how  he  abstained  from  all 
a  bachelor's  amusements  to  spend  the  long  even 
ings  with  that  motherless  child  ;  how  he  appro 
priated  her  first  affections  to  himself  instead  of 
permitting  them  to  fasten  on  a  nurse,  as  most 
men  do  and  ever  will  do  j  how  he  declined  and 
still  declines  all  invitations  to  clubs,  dinners, 
matches,  and  to  all  the  amusements  he  loves, 
that  he  may  stay  at  home  and  be  what  a  father 
ought  to  be ;  oh,  Agnes,  the  mere  recital  would 
enchant  you ! " 

"  Lei,  dear  Lei,  I  believe  you." 

"I  am  not  overdrawing  the  picture,  Agnes, 

nor  am  I  blinded  by  filial  love.     I  might  talk  till 
j 

doomsday  without  doing  him  justice,  and  Avhen 
I  begin  to  speak  of  him  I  know  not  Avhen  to  stop. 
But  you  must  pardon  me ;  I  would  not  utter  a 
syllable  in  his  praise  if  his  hypocritical  face  did 
not  compel  me  to  give  it  the  lie;  it  is  eternally 
Baying,  *  here  is  a  cold-blooded,  calculating  spec- 


LORETTO  J    OB,    THE    CHOICE.  101 

ulator,'  when  it  ought  to  say,  'here  is  a  self-deny 
ing,  generous,  loving  father.'  I  cannot  account 
for  the  variance  between  his  disposition  and  ap 
pearance  ;  I  have  been  trying  for  five  years,  but 
why  his  interior  virtue  has  not  some  outward  sign 
is  still  a  riddle.  Why,  mercy  on  me !  my  own 
little  face  is  a  passport  to  everybody's  confidence ; 
I  hear  more  secrets  than  any  body  in  town,  yet 
my  heart  is  no  more  to  be  compared  to  my 
father's  than  it  is  to  your  mother's." 

"  I  won't  take  your  bet,  Lei,"  said  Agnes,  em 
bracing  her  friend  ;  "  you  have  made  me  love 
him  already." 

"  I  don't  want  you  to  love  him  on  my  words, 
but  on  your  own  careful  observation.  I  have 
great  reliance  on  your  sagacity,  and  you  must 
assist  me  to  explain  the  contradiction  between 
his  heart  and  his  face.  I  have  drawn  all  sorts  of 
pictures  of  him,  and  with  the  same  set  of  features 
I  can  give  the  expression  he  ought  to  have ;  the 
expression  I  have  sometimes  caught,  flashing  an 
instant,  then  vanishing  like  a  meteor." 

"Do  you  think  he  will  like  me  ?"  Agnes  asked, 
"  for  I  cannot  study  him  to  advantage  unless  he 
does." 

"  He  likes  you  already,"  cried  Lei,  "  or  ho 
never  would  have  said  what  he  did." 

"  He  could  not  have  said  less." 


102  LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  But  he  might  have  said  a  great  deal  more, 
and  meant  a  great  deal  less." 

Here  the  conversation  ceased,  and  Lei  thought 
that  Agnes  must  have  fallen  asleep  on  her  knees, 
her  prayers  were  so  unreasonably  long. 


CPIAPTER  X. 

JERE  you  ever  at  a  concert,  Ag?  " 
"  Never." 

"  Wouldn't  you  like  to  hear  Beethoven's 
Symphony  in  C  Minor  ?  " 

"  Yes  !  "  cried  Agnes,  joyously,  who,  until  in 
troduced  by  Lei  to  the  great  master,  had  reve 
renced  him  only  as  a  mighty  shade,  standing  afar 
off  in  the  mist  and  majesty  of  distance  like  one 
of  Ossian's  heroes. 

"Come,  then,  we've  no  time  to  lose;"  and 
away  they  went  to  the  boudoir.  "  What  are  you 
going  to  wear,  Ag?" 

"Am  I  expected  to  wear  anything  more?" 
"Why,  you're   not   going  in  that  dress;     it 
doesn't  fit." 

"It  fits  quite  well  enough;  mother  made  it." 
"Yes,  mothers  can  do  a  great  many  things 
for  their  daughters,  but  they  can't  make  their 
dresses." 


LORETTO  ;   OR,    THE    CHOICE.  103 

"  Then  I'll  stay  at  home.  I  thought  Beethoven 
might  be  heard  without  a  ticket  from  a  mantua- 
maker." 

"  No  ;  that's  a  necessary  preliminary,"  replied 
Lei,  without  relaxing  a  muscle.  "  But  I  can  fix 
you  in  three  minutes.  Look  here,"  she  contin 
ued,  producing  a  cream-colored  sack,  or  opera 
cloak,  and  rapidly  passing  it  on  her  cousin's 
arms.  "Now,  a  white  japonica  in  your  hair, 
and  you'll  do." 

"  No,  no,"  said  Agnes,  escaping  from  the  sack. 
"  I  couldn't  listen  with  this  mealy  shroud  around 
me." 

"It  -is  hard  to  civilize  you  savages,"  retorted 
Lei,  partially  vexed  at  the  cool  contempt  with 
which  Agnes  disposed  of  her  cloak. 

Whilst  talking,  she  had  made  her  own  toilet 
as  plain  as  possible,  to  avoid  a  contrast. 

"  Just  one  flower  in  your  hair,"  continued  Lei. 

"  No." 

"Aggie,  my  dear,  dear  Aggie,  for  my  sake, 
just  this  teeny  tiny  bud,"  said  Lei,  kneeling  in 
irresistible  humility. 

"  Well,"  and  the  flower  rested  lovingly  on  her 
dark  hair. 

"  Murder  !  murder ! "  screamed  Lei,  as  Agnes 
began  to  put  her  bonnet  on,  "  you  irreclaimable 
barbarian  ! " 


104  LORETTO  ;   OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  Are  we  going  bareheaded  ?  " 

"Of  course  we  are.  How  else  can  we  hear?" 
said  Lei,  casting  down  her  eyes. 

"  How  else  can  we  be  seen  ?  you  would  say. 
I  will  wear  it." 

"Then  Pll  stay  at  home.  Agnes,  listen  to 
me ;  however  much  you  may  despise  fashion, 
yet  your  good  sense  will  teach  you  that  con 
formity  to  an  innocent  custom  is  better  than 
unnecessary  defiance.  A  bonnet  in  a  concert- 
room  is  as  ridiculous  as  satin  and  tarletan  in  the 
country." 

"  So  be  it,  then,"  murmured  Agnes,  dropping 
her  bonnet  in  despair. 

"  That's  a  darling,"  cried  Lei,  kissing  her  and 
throwing  a  white  nubia  over  cousin's  shoulders. 
"There'll  be  a  crowd ;  come,  or  father  and 
Melville  will  suspect  that  mirror  of  detaining 
us." 

" Shall  we  walk  or  ride?"  said  Mr.  Almy. 

"  Oh,  walk,  walk,  by  all  means  walk.  What's 
the  use  of  wasting  moonlight  in  a  carriage," 
replied  Lei,  about  to  take  her  father's  arm. 

"No,  my  dear,"  said  Mr.  Almy,  offering  his 
arm  to  Agnes,  and  giving  her  a  large  bouquet, 
"  I  prefer  your  cousin." 

Lei's  entrance  created  almost  universal  com 
motion.  "  Therms  Lei!  Therms  Lei!"  passed 


LORETTO  ;   OR,   THE   CHOICE.  105 

from  mouth  to  mouth  until  every  eye  was  on 
her.  Everybody  seemed  glad  to  see  her — old 
ladies  and  young  smiled  a  universal  welcome. 
Up  sprang  a  score  of  rejoicing  beaux,  and  our 
party  was  soon  advantageously  seated  in  the 
most  select  quarter  of  the  hall. 

Then  another  whisper,  "  Who's  that?"  be 
gan  to  circulate,  as  Agnes  became  the  object  o.f 
social  curiosity.  Hitherto  we  have  seen  Agnes 
only  amongst  her  native  hills,  with  a  becoming 
background  of  stream  and  forest,  of  verdant 
wheat  piercing  the  snow,  of  blue  mountains 
meeting  the  sky  in  the  distance.  This  m:vy 
have  made  a  difference;  but  alas,  real  beauty 
and  conventional  beauty  are  essentially  differ 
ent  ;  the  wild  flower  transplanted  to  a  garden 
may  bloom  as  sweetly  as  beside  its  parent  brook, 
but  how  few  will  stop  to  view  it.  One  thing, 
however,  is  certain,  that  Agnes  was  not  the 
person  to  take  the  house  by  storm  ;  had  she 
appeared  unsupported  by  Lei  she  might  not 
have  occasioned  a  remark.  Any  one  in  the  least 
familiar  with  fashionable  life  must  have  ob 
served  that  beauty  is  entirely  an  arbitrary  thinf. 

•/  J  */ 

It   is   ordained    and    criven   out    by   the   rulin<r 

o  *  o 

clique  that  a  certain  debutante  is  beautiful  — 
beautiful  in  spite  of  the  stars  and  all  creation. 
Whoever  dares  to  dispute  the  edict  is  banished 


106  LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

from  the  fairy  land  of  the  first  circles  ;  and  thus 
the  whole  pack  of  timorous  dependents  and 
hoping  outsiders  swell  the  cry  until  a  duped 
community  is  musical  with  her  praise.  Or 
should  some  fair  planet  be  spied  in  a  lower 
sphere,  which  threatens  to  eclipse  the  reigning 
star,  the  innocent  orb  is  so  pelted  and  perse 
cuted  by  all  the  satellites  of  the  skies  that, 
shorn  of  her  glory  and  her  rays,  she  gladly  de 
scends  beneath  the  horizon.  Thus  with  Agnes; 
it  required  but  a  word  from  Lei  to  make  her  a 
paragon  or  a  fright. 

They  were  rather  inclined  to  like  her,  but  not 
willing  to  hazard  an  opinion  without  a  full 
investigation  of  her  claims.  Her  claims!  Oh 

O 

hollow,  heartless  mockery.  She  might  have 
been  as  lovely  as  the  masterpiece  of  Grecian 
art,  she  might  have  spent  her  life  in  deeds  of 
glowing  charity,  she  might  have  possessed  every 
virtue  which  adorns  the  soul,  every  grace  which 
encircles  the  mind,  yet  without  the  borrowed 
attributes  of  birth  and  fortune  —  of  fortune  at 
least  —  her  claims  would  have  fallen  to  the 
ground  as  unnoticed  and  unfruitful  as  the  tears 
of  poverty.  Ay,  more  than  this ;  the  very  pos 
session  of  these  virtues  would  have  diminished 
her  attraction ;  the  narrow  vision  of  the  world 
below,  deceived  by  the  height  of  the  column, 
mistakes  elevation  for  littleness. 


LOKETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  107 

There  sat  our  young  rustic,  just  as  if  she 
were  in  the  quiet  parlor  at  Loretto,  unchanged, 
undazzled,  unawed  by  the  splendor  and  bustle 
around  her.  She  had  thrown  off  Lei's  nubia  — 
she  was  averse  to  any  ornament.  In  her  novel 
position  it  was  difficult  to  be  natural  and  at 
ease ;  few-  are  proof  against  open  embarrass 
ment  or  a  still  more  palpable  effort  to  conceal  it. 
But  Agnes  was  not  thinking  of  the  impression 
she  was  to  make ;  she  was  merely  amused  and 
entertained  by  her  first  glance  at  life.  She  was 
still  the  same  Agnes  that  sat  before  the  wood-fire. 

But  Lei  was  in  her  element,  a  thousand  times 
lovelier  than  she  had  ever  been;  her  eyes  flashed 
and  sparkled  like  diamonds,  and  in  all  she  said 
and  did  there  was  a  grace  and  elegance  of 
action  never  before  revealed.  Had  Agnes  been 
inclined  to  jealousy  there  was  ample  cause  for 
it.  Had  Lei  any  defeat  to  revenge  she  would 
have  been  amply  repaid  by  her  present  triumph. 

"Ag,"  whispered  Lei,  "do  you  see  that  lady 
in  the  terrapin  head-dress,  with  clusters  of  little 
eggs  all  over  her  hair,  a  dish  for  an  epicure  ? 
There  she  sits,  looking  right  straight  at  you. 
She  is  coming  here  in  a  moment  to  inquire  icho 
you  are" 

Agnes  had  already  perceived  the  unpleasant 
stare  of  the  lady  alluded  to,  who  was,  in  fact, 


108  LOKETTO;    OE,    THE    CHOICE. 

rendered  so  conspicuous  by  nature  and  art  that 
she  might  have  been  marked  amongst  a  million. 
She  had  all  the  pride,  mannerism,  and  affecta 
tion  of  wealth,  without  one  symptom  of  good 
breeding.  But  her  person,  in  spite  of  advanc 
ing  age,  was  good  ;  and,  on  the  whole,  she  was 
rather  a  favorable  specimen  of  metallic  aristoc 
racy. 

"You  must  secure  her  countenance,"  con 
tinued  Lei;  "she  is  one  of  the  crowned  heads, 
without  whose  interference  you  will  be  cast  into 
exile." 

"Ah,  here  comes  Mrs.  Hoity,"  muttered  Mr. 
Almy  to  Melville,  "  for  my  niece's  pedigree. 
I'll  meet  her."  And,  as  the  lady  in  question 
rose,  like  a  queen  from  her  throne,  he  boldly 
marched  up  the  narrow  avenue  and  intercepted 
her  advance. 

Now,  Mrs.  Hoity  was  a  widow,  and  had  been 
accused  of  more  than  one  design  on  Mr.  Almy's 
independence.  However  this  may  be,  she  pro 
fessed  the  most  devoted  friendship  for  Lei,  who, 
with  exemplary  filial  humility,  conceived  herself 
solely  indebted  to  her  father  for  the  honor. 

"  I  wanted  a  word  with  vour  charming  daugh- 

w1  ~ 

ter,  but  I  fear  I  shall  not  have  time,  as  I  see  the 
orchestra  are  entering  now.  Pray  tell  me  the 
name  of  that  young  stranger  ?  " 


LORETTO;   OR,   THE   CHOICE.  109 

"Miss  Agnes  Cleveland," 

"  Cleveland,  Cleveland ;  who  are  the  Cleve- 
lands?"  inquired  Mrs.  Hoity. 

"  Very  good  people,  I  believe.  Her  father's 
dead." 

"  Ah !  an  heiress  ? "  said  the  good  lady, 
brightening  up  and  casting  an  approving  look 
on  the  debutante. 

"Yes,  her  uncle  has  a  snug  little  farm,"  re 
plied  Mr.  Almy,  gravely. 

"  A  snug  little  farm  !  "  echoed  the  other,  with 
a  dying  smile.  "  Is  that  the  sum  and  substance 
of  her  expectations?" 

"No,  no,"  pursued  Mr.  Almy,  quietly,  "she 
has  very  splendid  expectations  I  believe,  but  the 
bequest  is  unfortunately  so  limited  as  to  take 
effect  only  after  her  demise.  The  poor  creature 
has  everything  to  hope  from  her  own  death, 
nothing  from  that  of  her  friends." 

"  Poor  creature,"  sighed  Mrs.  Hoity,  who  ac 
tually  thought  that  Mr.  Almy  was  alluding  to  a 
peculiar  will  of  some  eccentric  ancestor.  "  Is 
she  related  to  you  ?  " 

"  No ;  a  mere  connection,  a  country  cousin  of 
Lei's,"  added  Mr.  Almy,  in  a  meaning  whisper. 
And  with  an  arrogant  toss  of  the  head,  a  smile 
to  Melville  and  Lei,  a  cold  stare  at  Agnes,  this 
admirable  widow  resumed  her  seat. 


110  LOEETTO;   OE,   THE    CHOICE. 

"Have  you  scared  off  the  cormorant?"  whis 
pered  Melville. 

"Did  yoxi  not  see  how  she  sailed  away  at  the 
first  snuff  of  poverty  and  vitality?"  answered 
Mr.  Almy,  bending  his  head  to  indulge  a  laugh. 

"  Father  has  killed  you  dead  ;  Hoity's  against 
you,"  said  Lei. 

"  I  thank  him  sincerely,"  replied  Agnes,  and 
the  concert  began  with  an  overture  by  Lind- 
paintner. 

"  Pshaw ! "  muttered  Lei,  crushing  the  bill ; 
"but  we  can  talk  if  the  music  will  let  us.  Let 
us  fancy  ourselves  on  the  walls  of  Troy ;  I'll  be 
your  Helen  and  point  out  the  heroes  and  heroines 
in  the  audience." 

"  Soon  done,"  suggested  Melville.  "  Point 
where  you  will,  you'll  find  a  Menelaus,  or  a  Paris, 
or"  — 

"  A  Thersites,"  added  Lei,  giving  him  a  most 
malicious  look. 

"  Show  me  your  friends  first,"  said  Agnes ; 
'*  I  do  not  care  to  see  the  others." 

"  ^ly  friends?"  returned  Lei,  with  an  expres 
sion  of  blank  surprise  that  convulsed  her  father 
and  Melville  with  suppressed  laughter,  as,  rising 
deliberately  from  her  seat,  she  carefully  inspected 
the  room. 

"  Melville,"  she  said  at  last,  "  you're  taller  than 


LORETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE.  Ill 

I,  will  you  take  a  look  round  for  ray  friends  !  I 
can't  find  one." 

Happily,  the  overture  terminated  at  that  in 
stant,  and  the  boisterous  applause  drowned  the 
laugh  they  could  no  longer  suppress. 

After  some  mechanical  waltzes  of  Lanner's 
came  the  duett  from  Jessonda. 

"  Now,"  said  Lei,  "  we'll  listen,  if  the  talking 
will  let  us.  You'll  see  one  of  my  friends  now." 

Well  might  she  call  that  exquisite  morsel  a 
friend.  Ever  beautiful  and  ever  new,  growing 
dearer  and  nobler  by  familiarity ;  whoever  has 
heard  it  when  the  heart  was  heavy  with  sorrow, 
when  the  brain  was  weary  with  thought,  when 
hope  itself  refused  to  cheer ;  whoever  has  heard 
it  then  will  recognize  it  as  a  friend  that  whis 
pered,  "  though  the  sky  is  overcast,  the  stars  are 
still  as  sweetly  shining  in  their  old  places." 

But  a  group  of  young  ladies  and  gentlemen 
near  them  kept  up  such  an  incessant  clatter 
that  Agnes  could  scarcely  follow  the  music.  An 
attempt  was  made  to  encore  the  piece,  but  it  was 
vigorously  hissed  clown  for  a  new  polka. 

"  Huzza  for  the  nineteenth  century ! "  cried 
Lei,  her  eyes  flashing  fire.  "  The  mind  may  be 
marching  onward,  as  they  say,  but  it  doesn't 
march  to  good  music.  This  is  awful." 

"  From  the  full  house,"   observed  Agnes,   "  I 


112  LORETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

was  inclined  to  think  this  a  music-mad  commu 
nity." 

"A  musician-mad  community,"  interposed 
Melville. 

"Xo,  sir,"  resumed  Lei,  "  a  few  come  to  listen, 
and  a  few  weak  creatures  to  exchange  smiles  with 
the  performers,  which  ought  not  to  make  a  ra 
tional  man  jealous ;  but  the  great  majority  come 
to  see  and  to  be  seen." 

"You  are  too  hard,"  said  Mr.  Almy;  "that's 
only  a  collateral  pleasure." 

"  Ko,  sir,"  replied  Lei,  "  the  principal  attrac 
tion." 

"Of  course  it  is,"  said  Melville;  "  it  is  not 
surprising  that  the  first  principle  and  ground 
work  of  socigty  should  be  the  mainspring  of  a 
concert." 

The  C  minor  symphony  shared  the  same  fate, 
though  insipidity  itself  was  awed  into  silence 
by  the  sublime  Adagio,  which  must  always  lay 
the  spell  of  majesty  on  every  human  heart. 

In  the  meantime  it  had  spread  all  over  the 
room  that  Agnes  was  only  "  a  country  cousin;" 
and  when  the  concert  was  over,  and  Lei  was 
surrounded  by  her  friends,  Agnes  was  as  un 
noticed  and  unmolested  as  if  the  seal  of  her 
vocation  glowing  on  her  forehead  had  been  uni 
versally  intelligible. 


LOKETTO  ;   OR,   THE   CHOICE.  113 


CHAPTER  XI. 

JHERE  may  be  many  who  no  longer 
heed  us  because  our  unpretending  story 
seems  light  and  frivolous,  because  it  is 
not  sufficiently  seasoned  with  moral  reflections, 
because  we  have  not  thought  proper  to  insert 
here  and  there  a  chapter  of  pointed  theological 
discussion  to  balance  the  ingredients  of  love  and 
folly,  which  must  necessarily  appear  in  a  faithful 
reflection  of  everyday  life.  In  all  humility  we 
entreat  their  patience.  We  do  not  elaim  pro 
found  sagacity  or  varied  experience ;  but,  after 
all,  there  may  be  something  beneath  the  glitter 
ing  surface  of  Loretto  which  even^the  good  and 
wise  need  not  utterly  despise.  At  least  we  hope 
so.  Our  books  of  devotion,  dictated  by  learned 
sanctity,  are  numerous  and  full  of  unction;  our 
catechism  is  within  reach  of  the  poorest ;  our 
treatises  on  theology,  our  works  of  controversy, 
are  able  to  carry  conviction  to  every  man's  door. 
In  all  our  churches  the  words  of  faith,  hope,  and 
charity  are  continually  falling  from  anointed 
lips.  Go  listen  there,  ye  who  seek  instruction, 
ye  orphans  who  pine  for  a  mother !  Waste  not  a 
moment  over  these  pages  in  the  hope  of  a  senti 
mental  conversion !  We  only  wish  to  show  how 


114  LORETTO;    OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

the  worm  of  the  world  may  wither  the  fairest 
leaf  on  £he  tree  of  life ;  we  only  wish  to  caution 
the  young,  ay,  and  the  old,  against  the  siren 
songs  they  are  singing  around  us,  and  to  illus 
trate  that  there  is  nothing  so  little  valued  by 
society  as  the  pleasures  of  religion,  whilst  nothing 
is  less  prized  by  religion  than  the  pleasures  of 
society. 

Those  who  have  accompanied  us  from  Loretto 
to  the  city  must  have  been  attracted  by  love  for 
the  characters  we  have  created,  not  by  a  relish 
excited  by  the  commonplace  incidents  through 
which  they  have  passed.  It  is  but  justice,  then, 
to  examine  more  minutely  the  mutual  relations 
of  our  little  group  of  friends,  to  explain  some 
things  which  have  already  been  obscurely  hinted, 
to  reveal  others  which  may  not  be  suspected. 

Let  us  see  what  Lei  thought  that  night.  She 
was  not  given  to  jealousy,  but  for  some  time  she 
had  remarked  a  change  in  Melville's  manner 
towards  her.  He  was  quite  as  attentive,  quite  as 
courteous,  quite  as  agreeable;  but  he  Avas  no 
more  the  same  to  her,  the  indescribable  some 
thing  had  passed  away.  But  more  than  this,  it 
seemed  to  her  that  Agnes  alone  called  up  in  his 
face  the  very  feeling  she  missed  and  no  longer 
inspii-ed.  She  feared  that  she  loved  him,  but  she 
would  not  believe  it,  and  repelled  the  thought 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  115 

as  an  unworthy  suggestion.  Still  she  was  a 
woman ;  she  felt  her  superiority  to  Agnes  in 
the  concert-room,  and,  perceiving,  enjoyed  it. 
But  now  that  she  was  alone,  now  that  the  mo 
mentary  triumph  was  over,  now  that  her  better 
nature  had  returned  with  darkness  and  silence, 
she  abhorred  herself  for  her  weakness.  For  the 
first  time  in  her  life  she  had  departed  from  her 
standard  of  feminine  pride  and  magnanimity; 
she  had  raised  her  hand  against  a  friend,  her  heart 
was  bleeding  to  think  that  she  had  merited  the 
Colonel's  cruel  suspicion. 

As  for  Agnes,  she  thought  of  the  beautiful  music 
she  had  heard,  of  Mr.  Almy's  kindness;  she  re 
flected  long  on  Lei's  misfortune  in  having  so  many 
acquaintances  without  one  friend,  and  then  fell 
asleep  to  dream  of  the  Convent  and  her  mother. 

Mr.  Almy,  too,  was  thinking.  lie  thought 
that  Lei  might  soon  be  married  to  Melville,  in 
whom  she  would  have  a  protector  worthy  of  her, 
that  then  he  might  feel  at  liberty  to  contract 
new  obligations.  He  thought  of  the  strength  and 
purity  displayed  in  Agnes,  of  her  perfect  free 
dom  from  art  and  affectation,  and  became  sud 
denly  solicitous  about  his  age  and  appearance.  He 
congratulated  himself  on  having  prevented  the 
threatened  persecution  of  Mrs.  Hoity  and  her 
tribe,  and  resolved  to  keep  the  young  visitor  at 


116  LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

home,  unmolested  and  to  himself.  Of  course  he 
acted  from  the  most  disinterested  motives ;  for 
it  would  be  a  fearful  thing  if  this  inexperienced 
girl  were  entrapped  by  the  wiles  of  some  artful 
adventurer.  In  short,  it  was  much  more  prudent 
to  pursue  a  Castilian  strictness  iu  her  regard  and 
save  himself  from  all  responsibility. 

Now,  what  thought  Melville?  "We  have  not 
yet  succeeded  in  clearly  marking  his  character, 
which  is  more  faintly  drawn  than  that  of  his 
associates.  It  is  not  easy  to  distinguish  him 
from  the  multitude  of  real  and  fictitious  youths 
in  whom  young  ladies  see  a  hero  or  a  sage.  We 
have  said  enough,  though,  to  intimate  that  Mel 
ville's  charms  were  rather  mental  than  physical, 
and  that,  but  for  his  fortune,  few  in  Lei's  place 
would  have  loved  him.  There  was  a  time  when 
Lei  was  all  in  all  to  him,  when  he  thought  of 
no  one  else  and  hoped  for  no  one  else.  But  it 
had  passed  away,  passed  away  in  spite  of  him  ! 
He.  would  give  worlds  to  recall  it,  but  it  would 
not  come,  it  would  not  come  !  He  felt  that  he 
was  doing  her  injustice,  that  he  was  unjustifiably 
abandoning  a  position  lie  had  taken,  that  he  had 
gone  too  far  to  retract,  that  perhaps  he  had 
inspired  an  attachment  more  permanent  than 
his  own ;  but  reason  and  resolve  alike  failed  to 
make  him  retrace  the  lost  ground  over  which  his 


LORETTO  ;    OR,   THE   CHOICE.  117 

inclination  once  carried  him  so  lightly.  He  had 
discovered  Lei's  noble  nature,  her  firmness,  her 
truth,  and  he  revered  her  in  spite  of  her  foibles. 
She  was  worthier  of  love  than  any  he  had  met. 
But  he  met  Agnes  !  Here  is  something  higher 
and  holier,  the  realization  of  his  fondest  hopes ! 
As  he  -became  better  acquainted  with  her,  Lei's 
imperfections  were  magnified  into  faults,  until  he 
wondered  how  he  could  have  been  fascinated  by 
such  a  giddy,  tattling  creature.  Thus  he  fluctu 
ated  between  self-reproach  and  self-congratula 
tion.  At  the  concert  he  had  seen  Lei  at  every 
advantage,  Agnes  at  every  disadvantage,  and 
though  delighted  by  the  brilliancy  of  the  one,  he 
was  far  more  deeply  moved  by  the  noble  repose 
of  the  other. 

His  reflections  naturally  resolved  themselves 
into  this  one  point :  that  he  was  still  attached 
to  Lei,  but  that  his  solemn  duty  to  himself  de 
manded  that  he  should  obey  his  mature  judg 
ment  instead  of  blindly  pursuing  his  juvenile 
inclinations.  No  very  serious  consequences 
could  arise,  because  Lei  was  too  generous  not 
to  forgive  him,  too  light-hearted  not  to  forget 
him.  The  matter  must  soon  be  decided  —  things 
had  a  hypocritical  aspect  as  they  stood — he 
hated  deception  and  procrastination  —  at  all 
events  he  would  ask  Agnes  to  ride  with  him 
to-morrow  afternoon. 


118  LOKETTO  :    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


T  was  a  bright,  cold  day  ;  Melville  and 
Agnes  had  gone  out  on  horseback,  Mr. 
Almy  and  Lei  were  spending  the  after 
noon  at  home. 

"Lei,",  said  Mr.  Almy,  "I  cannot  tell  you 
how  much  your  cousin  interests  me.  I  have 
often  followed  little  school-girls  for  squares  to 
watch  their  faces.  Sometimes  I  find  amongst 
them  one  of  those  sweet  young  creatures  won 
dering  sadly  at  the  world,  on  whom  the  bung 
ling  earth  has  not  laid  a  touch  to  spoil  the  pure 
handiwork  of  heaven.  I  have  wept  as  I  fol 
lowed  them,;  to  think  that  they  must  live,  for 
they  feel  their  exile.  Agnes  has  one  of  these 
faces." 

"  She  is  as  happy  as  the  day's  long,"  said  Lei. 

"  Happier  than  you  or  I,  perhaps,"  continued 
Mr.  Almy ;  "  but  ask  her  whether  she  is  not 
languishing  for  her  home  there,  above  the  blue 

o  O  ' 

ether  that  bars  the  eagle's  eye,  and  her  answer 
will  be 'Yes!'" 

"  I  believe  it  would,"  returned  Lei,  mourn 
fully. 

"  Are  we  the  tempters  who  must  destroy  this 
beautiful  hope,  by  substituting  for  it  a  clinging 


LORETTO;    OB,    THE    CHOICE.  119 

to  the  world,  a  false  devotion  to  the  artificial 
life  ice  are  leading?  Oh,  Lei,  Lei,  when  I  think 
of  the  villains  who  approach  you,  who,  steeped 
in  iniquity  to  the  lips,  yet  have  the  privilege  of 
walking,  talking,  eating,  and  dancing  with  you, 
I  despise  myself  for  permitting  it.  I  had  not 
the  Christian  firmness  to  prevent  it ;  I  lack  the 
Roman  heroism  which  should  remedy  it." 

Lei  had  often  determined  to  inform  her  father 
of  Agnes'  choice  of  life,  and  of  the  agony  it 
caused  the  Colonel.  But  in  her  heart,  though 
she  knew  it  not,  she  prayed  that  Agnes  might 
adhere  to  her  resolution  and'  not  permit  the 
false  glare  of  a  brilliant  season  to  melt  her 
heroic  promise.  She  trembled  at  the  responsi 
bility  of  weaning  the  child  of  heaven  from  the 
breast  from  which  it  drew  its  first  pure  nourish 
ment.  She  feared  that  her  father,  out  of  earnest 
sympathy  for  the  Colonel,  might  employ  every  art 
to  win  Agnes  to  the  world.  This  had  kept  her 
silent.  But  her  father  was  speaking  as  he  had 
never  spoken  before  ;  his  whole  frame  was  work 
ing  as  if  he  were  giving  vent  to  thoughts  smoth 
ered  for  years. 

"  Father,"  she  began,  "  forgive  my  concealing 
it ;  I  should  have  told  you  at  once,  Agnes  Cleve 
land  is  to  be  a  nun." 

"  Of  her  own  free  choice  ?  " 


120  LORETTO  J   OB,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  Yes." 

"  Thank  God !  "  cried  Mr.  Almy,  and  a  light 
broke  over  his  face,  amid  which  Lei  saw  the 
expression  he  ought  to  have.  "  Thank  God ! 
But  what  is  she  doingr  here  ?  " 

o 

Lei  hung  her  head. 

"Does  her  mother  oppose  it?" 

"  No ;  her  uncle  does." 

"The  hoary  old  fool,"  thundered  Mr.  Almy, 
clenching  his  hand.  "  And  he  sent  her  here  to 
be  reclaimed?'1''  he  added,  bitterly. 

"  Yes,"  said  Lei,  "  and  I  am  his  instrument." 

"  His  instrument,"  repeated  Mr.  Almy,  breath 
ing  deeply  and  drawing  back  from  his  daughter 
with  involuntary  disdain,  "  his  instrument  to 
seduce  this  vestal  virgin  from  solitude  and  sanc 
tity  ;  his  instrument  to  pervert  the  purest  aspira 
tions  of  the  human  soul ;  his  instrument  to 
deprive  her  of  eternal  joy  for  the  sake  of  mortal 
life ;  and  what  a  life !  Xo,  no,  Lei,  I  will  not 
believe  it,  you  are  not  sunk  so  low." 

« I  am." 

"  Lei ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Almy,  grasping  her 
arm,  "  I  have  been  a  cold,  inconsiderate  parent ; 
I  have  but  poorly  played  a  father's  part ;  I  have 
neglected  your  soul,  your  immortal  soul,  because 
I  loved  the  world  more  than  heaven.  I  shall  not 
speak  of  this  now,  not  now.  I  love  you,  though, 


LOEETTO  J   OE,    THE    CHOICE.  121 

with  all  the  love  of  which  I  am  capable;  you 
are  dearer  to  me  than  all  the  earth.  I  would 
sacrifice  fortune,  health,  life,  to  save  you  from 
one  hour  of  the  suffering  that  is  my  daily  por 
tion  ;  but  though  I  must  love  you  thus  to  the 
day  of  my  death,  come  what  may,  yet  if  you 
attempt  by  any  influence,  direct  or  indirect,  to 
clip  the  Avings  of  this  beautiful  soul  now  flying  to 
its  Maker's  bosom,  I  shall  cease  to  respect  you." 

"Oh,  hear  me,  father.  A  good  old  man,  with 
trembling  hands  and  gray  hair,  knelt  to  me,  and 
begged  me,  as  I  valued  his  peace  and  life,  to 
prevent  his  child  —  for  he  loves  her  as  his  child  — 
from  taking  this  final  step,  without  experience, 
without  reflection,  without  trial." 

"And  is  she  to  be  sacrificed  because  he  is  old 
and  foolish  ?  Oh,  Lei,  the  whisperings  of  God 
to  a  young  heart  undefiled  by  sin,  and  in  constant 
communion  with  him,  trusting,  living,  exulting 
in  him  alone,  are  worth  ages  of  experience. 
Fervent  piety  is  more  than  wisdom,  without 
which  reflection  is  nothing.  And  as  for  trial, 
are  we  to  test  her  with  acids,  like  a  lump  of  gold, 
when  our  very  touch  is  enough  to  change  her 
nature  ?  " 

"  I  have  riot  soiled  her  yet,"  said  Lei,  hurt  at 
the  insinuation  ;  "  but  if  you  think  me  an  unfit 
companion  for  her  " 


122  LOEETTO;    OE,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  I  have  touched  your  pride,  my  sweet  Lei," 
said  Mr.  Almy,  drawing  her  to  his  side.  "My 
dear  daughter,  you  have  fine  impulses,  glowing 
sentiments,  correct  notions  of  right  and  wrong, 
as  the  world  goes  ;  you  go  to  church  pretty  reg 
ularly,  you  say  your  prayers  sometimes,  you  are 
a  loving,  dutiful  child,  but  oh,  Lei !  you  are  not 
what  you  might  have  been — "what  you  might  be 
had  I  done  my  duty,  had  I  consulted  your  true 
interests,  had  I  been  true  to  your  mother 's  dying 
charge !  " 

At  these  last  words,  uttered  in  a  hoarse  whis 
per,  as  if  wrung  by  agony  and  remorse  from  his 
lips,  the  proud  merchant  staggered  to  a  chair 
and  buried  his  face  in  his  hands,  Avhilst  Lei,  pale 
and  trembling,  knelt  before  him. 

"  Enough,  enough,  the  fault  is  mine!"  mur 
mured  the  father ;  ask  me  no  more,  not  one 
word  more,  as  you  value  my  repose.  Will  you 
believe  it,  my  daughter,  that  often  when  you 
were  attracting  all  eyes,  and  winning  all  hearts, 
I  have  wished,  prayed,  ay,  a  thousand  times, 
prayed  that  you  had  died  in  your  cradle  before 
your  feet  had  left  your  mother's  chamber,  before 
your  lips  had  left  your  mother's  breast.  It  was 
a  wicked  wish,  but  I  wished  it,  I  still  wish  it." 

"Why?" 

"  Because  I  have  a  conscience ! "    said  Mr. 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  123 

Almy,  with  bitter  emphasis,  and  as  he  raised  his 
eyes  lie  encountered  Gabriel's,  who  was  smiling. 

"  You  come  and  go  like  a  ghost,"  continued 
Mr.  Almy,  addressing  him  ;  "  I  am  glad  you  come 
now  with  a  smile.  What's  the  matter?" 

"  Tea  is  ready,"  whispered  Gabriel,  "  and  Miss 
Agnes  and  Mr.  Melville  are  at  the  door." 

We  shall  employ  the  time  they  are  spending 
at  the  tea-table  by  relating  what  happened  dur 
ing  the  ride. 

Melville  did  not  feel  exactly  happy  as  he 
pranced  so  gayly  beside  Agnes;  the  future  was 
not  clear  enough,  his  hopes  were  too  far  from 
f ullilment ;  yet  he  felt  the  charm  of  her  presence, 
and  was  happier  than  he  would  have  been  any 
where  else.  At  times,  indeed,  when  Agnes  gave 
full  reign  to  the  spirited  creature  that  bore  her, 
•when,  leaving  the  city  behind,  she  flew  into  the 
country  like  an  uncaged  bird,  or  when,  checking 
their  horses  they  paced  slowly  along  some  Avooded 
ridge,  conversing  as  freely  and  fondly  as  if  they 
had  been  friends  from  childhood,  the  sanguine 
young  man  flattered  himself  that  the  cold  obsta 
cles  to  his  happiness  were  melting  in  the  warm 
light  of  affection. 

Away  they  went,  as  fleetly  as  happiness, 
through  the  suburbs,  over  the  main  road,  passing 
from  turnpike  to  turnpike  by  various  winding 


124  LORETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

lanes,  new  to  Agnes,  but  familiar  to  her  compan 
ion.  The  horses  stopped  of  their  own  accord 
beside  a  little  ice-bound  brook,  and  then  walked 
most  leisurely.  The  road  Avas  shut  in  by  hills 
and  trees,  and  wound  gradually  from  a  hollow 
up  to  a  high  point  of  land,  commanding  a  fine 
view  of  the  city  and  the  river  beyond  it.  Melville 
smiled  sadly  ;  the  intelligent  animals  were  truer 
to  the  past  than  he.  Yes,  it  was  Lei's  favorite 
ride !  There  had  she  been  day  after  day  with 
him  ;  in  spring,  when  the  first  flowers  were  bloom 
ing,  when  the  loving  leaves  stretched  forth  their 
tender  cheeks  to  the  soft  kisses  of  the  south 
winds,  and  decked  the  reviving  brandies  for  woo 
ing  birds;  in  summer,  when  the  little  brook  bab 
bled  against  the  heat,  when  thirsting  doves  came 
to  drink  and  peck  there,  when  the  flocks  and 
herds  slumbered  in  the  cool  shade  of  noble  oaks, 
when  the  bearded  wheat  and  tasselled  corn  waved 
in  green  and  gold ;  in  autumn,  when  the  mellow 
fruit  glanced  in  beauty  through  the  orchards, 
when  every  hill-top  and  every  bottom  glowed  in 
gorgeous  livery  of  a  thousand  dyes,  as  if  the 
numberless  leaves  had  caught  and  held  fast  the 
colors  of  the  sunset  clouds.  The  horses  had 
always  walked  over  that  ground,  and  they  re 
spected  it  now. 

No  wonder  then  Melville  looked  grave,  no  won- 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  125 

der  lie  hung  his  head.  He  knew  the  very  stones ; 
they  preached  to  him  most  powerfully  of  mortal 
inconstancy  ;  and  as  memory  after  memory  re 
turned,  with  a  load  of  looks,  words,  and  smiles, 
his  heart  smote  him,  and  he  felt  like  a  traitor. 

Agnes  was  not  entirely  blind,  yet  up  to  this 
instant  she  had  never  dreamed  that  Melville's 
attentions  to  her  meant  anything  more  than 
common  friendship.  To  a  pure,  unsuspecting  in 
telligence  truth  comes  like  inspiration.  All  at 
once  it  flushed  upon  her  that  Lei  and  Melville 
stood  a  little  farther  apart,  and  that  she  herself 
stood  between  them.  And  then,  putting  this  and 
that  together,  she  rapidly  came  to  a  conclusion 
from  which  she  recoiled,  unwilling  to  believe  it. 
"When  Melville  looked  up,  he  met  her  calm,  dark 
eye  searching  his  very  soul,  and  he  blushed  and 
trembled  like  a  truant  school-boy.  His  embar 
rassment  confirmed  her  suspicion,  and  a  senti 
ment  resembling  aversion  arose  in  her  mind.  It 
was  but  a  transient  shadow,  yet,  had  he  not  looked 
away,  he  could  have  seen,  for  once,  that  gentle 
face  administering  a  cold  rebuke. 

"Can  we  return  by  that  road?"  she  asked, 
urging  her  horse  to  a  full  gallop. 

Melville  muttered,  "Yes." 

"  Let  us  take  it,  then ;  the  sun  will  soon  be 
down." 


126  LORETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE. 

There  were  pretty  cottages  strung  along  each 
side  of  the  road,  some  on  the  Barn,  some  on  the 
Gothic,  but  most  on  the  Vandal  order,  with  here 
and  there  a  dwelling  of  much  pretension,  its  de 
formity  rendered  more  conspicuous  by  its  size. 
Agnes  kept  her  companion  busy  telling  her  the 
names  and  history  of  the  owners.  His  answers 
were  not  very  entertaining  or  satisfactory,  and 
the  good  people  described  could  hardly  have 
recognized  themselves  in  the  medley  he  made  of 
them.  In  short,  he  so  confounded  their  births, 
marriages,  and  deaths  that  it  must  have  been  the 
most  wonderful  population  on  the  face  of  the 
earth.  He  still  felt  that  calm,  dark  eye  search 
ing  his  very  soul,  and  half  his  replies  were  at 
random,  until,  to  his  inexpressible  relief,  they 
reached  the  edge  of  the  city,  where  she  suspended 
her  queries,  to  observe  the  dirty,  cramped,  dingy 
hovels  through  which  they  were  passing. 

"  You  must  excuse  my  bringing  you  this  very 
uninteresting  route,"  said  Melville.  "I  scarcely 
know  where  we  are.  However,  it  is  easy  to 
escape  these  palaces  of  the  sovereign  people." 

"Excuse  me,"  replied  Agnes,  surprised  and 
pained  by  this  heartless  sneer  ;  "  excuse  me  if  I 
find  this  the  most  interesting  part  of  our  ride." 

Melville  saw  how  far  he  had  committed  him 
self.  Poor  fellow !  He  was  charitable  or  liberal 


LORETTO;    OE,    THE    CHOICE.  127 

to  a  fault;  but,  like  all  of  us,  in  trying, to  appear 
to  advantage,  he  only  injured  himself. 

"  Palaces  they  may  be,"  she  resumed,  "  of  vir 
tues  that  might  put  us,  whom  the  poor  need  not 
envy,  to  the  blush.  Are  these  palaces  ever  vis 
ited  by  the  rich,  or  are  they  avoided,  as  the 
Hindoo  avoids  a  jungle  which  may  conceal  a 
lion?" 

"Perhaps  they  do  conceal  a  lion,"  said  Mel 
ville. 

"A  very  lean  one,  then,"  returned  Agnes, 
glancing  at  the  meagre  forms  that  were  flitting 
around  them. 

"  Only  the  more  desperate  from  hunger." 

"  And  whose  fault  is  that  ?  "  cried  the  young 
girl,  with  a  flashing  eye.  "  Were  half  the  money 
that  is  squandered  applied  here  the  danger  would 
be  over." 

"  My  fair  friend  is  something  of  a  Socialist." 

"  Xo,"  she  retorted,  with  a  smile.  "  If  Chris 
tian  charity  were  more  in  vogue  Socialism,  which 
only  lives  in  its  absence,  would  be  out  of  fash 
ion"" 

"  It  is  their  duty  as  Christians  to  bear  and 
forbear." 

"Most  unquestionably.  But  if  we  neglect  the 
duty  of  relieving  are  we  to  be  surprised  if  they 
renounce  the  more  difficult  task  of  suffering;? 


128  LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

A  republic  destitute  of  active  Christian  charity 
wants  the  first  principle  of  life." 

At  this  moment  they  were  attracted  by  a  little 
boy,  who,  darting  through  the  door  of  an  ill-look 
ing  shed,  trotted  along  by  their  horses,  hold 
ing  his  tiny  hands  up  to  Agnes  with  a  gesture 
not  to  be  mistaken.  He  could  not  have  been 
more  than  ten  years  old ;  he  was  bareheaded, 
and  his  light,  flaxen  hair  curled  over  his  temples 
and  cheeks.  Though  his  clothes  were  tattered 
and  old,  yet  his  face  and  hands  were  scrupu 
lously  clean.  Agnes  was  enchanted  with  him  as 
he  followed  her,  looking  up  with  mild  blue  eyes 
from  which  his  very  soul  appealed.  Young  as  he 
was  his  smile  was  adorned  with  a  touching 
mournful  ness  —  it  was  like  a  star  peering  through 
a  watery  sky. 

"What  do  you  want,  my  boy?"  said  Agnes, 
stopping  her  horse. 

"Help  for  my  father,"  murmured  the  child, 
blushing  and  hanging  his  head. 

o  o       o 

"Perhaps  his  confusion  should  be  construed 
into  an  admission  of  imposture,"  she  whispered 
to  Melville,  and  then  continued,  "  What  ails 
your  father?" 

"  He  has  been  very  sick." 

"  Is  he  better  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes,  much  better.     He  is  getting  well." 


LORETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE.  129 

"  What  does  he  want  ?  " 

The  child  was  silent. 

"  Tell  me ! "  said  Agnes,  in  a  tone  of  such 
heartfelt  sympathy  that  the  little  fellow  won 
dered,  smiled,  and  wept. 

"  He  never  asks  for  anything,"  answered  the 
boy,  shaking  his  head,  "  he  never  asks  for  any 
thing." 

"Have  you  nothing  to  eat?"  resumed  Agnes. 

"  Yes,  we  have  bread  and  meat  enough  for  a 
week ;  but  father  won't  eat  it,  and  if  he  doesn't 
eat  you  know  he  must  die."  Here  his  tears 
flowed  faster.  "  I  thought  —  that  if  I  could 
get  money  enough  to  buy  him  some  nice  things 
to-night  he  would  be  better  in  the  morning. 
And  when  I  saw  you  passing,  something  seemed 
to  say  to  me,  '  there  goes  a  lady  who  will  give 
you  some  oranges,  and  pineapples,  and  oysters.' 
For  oh !  you  looked  so  good ! "  cried  the  art 
less  child,  looking  into  her  eyes. 

"  Flattery,  another  proof  of  dishonesty.  Shall 
we  encourage  this  vagabond,  Mr.  Melville?" 
reaching  down  to  pat  the  boy's  head  as  she 
spoke. 

"He  attracts  me  strongly,"  whispered  Mel 
ville,  taking  out  his  purse.  "  In  spite  of  his  light 
hair  and  blue  eyes  I  think  he  slightly  resembles 
you." 


180  LORETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

"  "What  is  your  name,  my  son  ?  "  said  Agnes. 

"  Clarence ! " 

"  Have  you  no  other  name  ?  " 

"  None." 

"Where  is  your  father?" 

"  In  there,"  said  the  boy,  pointing  at  the  door 
from  which  he  had  issued. 

"  Can  I  see  him  ?  " 

Again  the  round  tears  rolled  over  his  soft 
cheeks,  again  his  golden  head  inclined.  With 
out  a  word  he  pressed  her  hand  passionately  to 
his  lips,  then  gazed  at  her  in  mute  reverence. 

"  You  are  not  in  earnest,  Miss  Agnes,"  cried 
Melville,  as  she  was  about  to  dismount. 

"  Indeed  I  am,"  and  throwing  him  the  reins, 
and  giving  her  hand  to  the  child,  she  sprang 
lightly  from  the  saddle.  Melville  was  instantly 
at  her  side. 

"  My  dear  Miss  Cleveland,"  he  said,  "  I  im 
plore  you  not  to  expose  yourself  to  the  close  at 
mosphere  of  these  cells,  where  you  know  not  how 
many  forms  of  disease  may  be  lurking.  Remain 
here ;  I  will  make  an  examination  and  see  that 
the  invalid  is  well  nursed." 

So  saying,  he  beckoned  a  man  to  hold  the 
horses,  and  stepped  before  her. 

"We  will  go  together,"  said  Agnes,  noticing 
Melville's  concern  for  her  and  indifference  to  him- 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  131 

self.  But  she  could  not  be  dissuaded  by  look, 
speech,  or  gesture ;  for  not  only  did  she  long  to 
begin  her  mission  at  the  bedside  of  suffering 
poverty,  not  only  did  she  think  of  bathing  the 
invalid's  temples  and  moistening  his  lips,  but  the 
man  might  be  dying,  an  unshrived  soul  might 
be  speeding  to  its  last  account ! 

Clarence  led  the  way  with  his  little  hand  fast 
in  hers. 

After  ascending  a  narrow,  crooked  staircase, 
they  entered  a  dismal  chamber,  uncarpeted  and 
vtnpapered.  They  could  scarcely  see  each  other 
at  first,  for  the  room  was  badly  lighted,  and  the 
broken  windows  were  hung  with  blankets  to  nour 
ish  heat  at  the  expense  of  light.  The  wretched 
ness  of  the  scene,  the  imperfect  ventilation,  made 
Agnes  dizzy,  as,  guided  by  Clarence,  she  ap 
proached  a  bed  standing  on  a  shabby  piece  of 
matting  in  one  "corner. 

"  He  is  sound  asleep,"  whispered  the  boy;  "he 
has  not  slept  before  for  three  days  and  nights." 

"  Give  me  a  candle,  if  you  have  one,"  said  Mel 
ville,  drawing  closer  to  the  slumberer.  Agnes 
shuddered  —  he  was  so  still,  his  very  breathing 
inaudible  —  it  might  be  death! 

Clarence  hastily  drew  a  match  across  the  wall, 
and  the  last  candle,  revealing  all  the  evidences 
of  poverty  and  distress,  deepened  the  wretched- 


132  LOBETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

ness  of  the  scene.     Shading  the  light  with  his 

O  O 

hand  Melville  bent  over  the  sick  man.  Agnes 
saw  a  mass  of  black  hair,  a  forehead  white  as 
marble;  she  saw  the  closed  eye,  the  motionless 
lips,  and  clasping  her  hands  knelt  by  the  pillow ; 
whilst  Clarence,  terrified  at  their  deep  silence, 
crept  close  to  her  side.  She  looked  again, —  did 
not'  the  thin  nostril  move  ?  did  it  not  rise  and 
fall  regularly  ?  She  looked  earnestly  at  Melville. 

"  He  is  living,"  he  said  at  last ;  "  his  pulse  is 
weak,  but  true  ;  his  breathing  faint,  but  regular. 
My  son,"  he  continued,  in  a  tone  of  unwonted 
tenderness,  "  your  father  will  be  much  better 
when  he  wakes." 

"  When  will  he  wake  ? "  asked  Clarence,  with 
tearful  eyes. 

"Probably  not  before  to-morrow." 

"  But  if  he  should  not'  wake  then  ?  " 

"So  much  the  better.     Let  him  sleep  on." 

Agnes  turned  to  embrace  the  boy,  and  to  her 
surprise  found  the  mysterious  Gabriel  amongst 
them. 

"  How  did  you  find  us  out  ?  "  said  Melville. 

"  I  saw  the  horses  at  the  door,"  whispered 
Gabriel. 

"  This  atmosphere  is  enough  to  kill  any  one," 
resumed  Melville,  examining  the  windows. 

Whilst  he  was  improving  the  ventilation,  Ag- 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  133 

nes  moved  about  the  room,  like  a  sweet  spirit, 
putting  things  in  order.  By  her  mere  touch  the 
rubbish  around  her  seemed  to  lose  its  chaotic  as 
pect.  As  Ave  see  a  gentle,  loving  woman  subdu 
ing  the  ruggedness  of  poverty  by  a  smile,  and 
reducing  all  to  order,  as  if  by  the  simple  force  of 
her  presence,  we  are  reminded  of  the  Eternal 
Spirit  that  moved  over  the  face  of  the  waters, 
creating  life  and  light  and  order  by  his  breath 
alone. 

Gabriel  had  taken  Clarence  on  his  knees. 
One  of  his  peculiarities  was  a  fondness  for  chil 
dren  which  he  could  not  control.  He  was  never 
so  happy  as  when  he  had  them  in  his  arms.  And 
they  all  loved  him,  and  would  run  to  meet  him 
and  cling  to  him  like  young  vines  around  the 
prop  by  which  they  curl  towards  the  sky. 

"Let  us  go,  Miss  Cleveland,"  said  Melville. 

"  Leave  him  ?  "  cried  Agnes,  in  surprise. 

"  I  will  return  and  pass  the  night  here ;  I  have 
some  skill  in  medicine.  This  is  no  place  for 
you." 

Agnes  felt  that  she  had  done  Melville  injus 
tice,  and  a  smile  of  gratitude  and  approval  shone 
on  her  face 

"But  should  he  want  a  confessor?" 

"  Leave  that  to  me,"  interposed  Gabriel. 

"  The  man  is  in  110  danger,  I  assure  you,"  said 
Melville. 


134  LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

"I  shall  return  in  half  an  hour,"  whispered 
Gabriel  to  the  child. 

"  Don't  forget  the  oranges  !  "  said  Clarence. 
Gabriel  smiled,  and  Agnes  took  the  dear  boy  in 
her  arms. 

"When  are  you  coming  back?"  asked  Clar 
ence,  clinging  to  her. 

"  To-morrow  morning  early.  Will  you  not  go 
with  me  till  then  ?  " 

Clarence  pointed  to  his  father,  and  Agnes 
kissed  his  clear,  sunny  forehead. 

"Where  do  you  sleep?"  she  said. 

He  pointed  to  a  chair  at  the  head  of  the  bed. 

Turning  abruptly  from  him  to  hide  her  tears 
she  left  the  room. 

"  Make  no  noise,  my  son,"  said  Melville.  He 
looked  round  for  Gabriel,  but  Gabriel  had  al 
ready  disappeared. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

S  we  have  seen,  Gabriel  reached  the 
house  a  minute  before  the  equestrians ; 
his  celerity  Avas  so  marvellous  that  he 
might  be  called  ubiquitous.  At  the  tea-table 
Agnes  acquainted  Lei  and  her  father  with  what 


LOEETTO;    OE,    THE   CHOICE.  135 

had  happened.  Mr.  Almy  immediately  ordered 
his  carriage,  and  the  girls  busied  themselves  in 
gathering  all  the  delicacies  of  the  house  into  a 
goodly  bundle.  After  this  they  selected  a  good 
bed  and  abundant  covering  for  Clarence.  All 
was  put  into  the  carriage  in  charge  of  Gabriel, 
who  set  out  at  once,  -Melville  promising  to  fol 
low  soon. 

The  stranger  was  still  asleep;  Clarence  was 
sitting  by  his  bedside,  thinking  of  the  sweet 
looking  lady  who  had  been  so  kind  to  him.  The 
poor  boy  had  heard  of  angels,  and  in  his  solitude 
and  sufferings  he  delighted  to  surround  himself 
with  those  blessed  creatures  with  whom  he  be 
lieved  the  air  was  peopled.  They  were  his  only 
playmates,  and  so  vividly  had  he  pictured  them 
that  he  knew  them  by  different  forms  and  names, 
and  loved  to  sing  to  them  by  day  and  call  them 
to  share  his  pillow  when  he  was  fortunate  enough 
to  have  one.  But  Agnes  seemed  to  him  prettier 
than  any  of  his  invisible  companions;  and  he 
was  wondering  whether  some  one  of  them  had 
not  stepped  forth  from  the  air  to  comfort  and 
cheer  him,  in  mortal  shape,  as  Gabriel  entered 
the  room. 

Without  speaking,  but  smiling  like  another 
angel,  this  strange  being  spread  the  bed  on  the 
floor  and  made  it  up  as  nicely  as  a  new  chamber- 


136  LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

maid  could  have  done.  He  then  deposited  the 
bundle  in  a  corner,  and  took  Clarence  on  his 
knee,  drawing  the  chair  away  from  the  bed. 

"  You  see  I  have  not  forgotten  the  oranges " 
he  whispered,  pulling  some  of  the  golden  fruit 
from  his  pocket. 

But  Clarence  was  looking  at  the  soft  bed,  the 
snow-white  sheets,  and  spotless  pillow-case. 

"  Is  that  for  me  ?  "  he  murmured. 

"For  you,"  replied  Gabriel,  kissing  him,  as 
the  fair  boy,  leaning  against  his  benefactor's 
breast,  wept  as  if  his  heart  would  break.  It  was 
soon  over ;  the  tears  of  childhood  are  like  April 
showers  —  for  every  drop,  a  flower,  a  smile. 

"  What  is  your  father's  name  ?  "  resumed  Ga 
briel. 

Clarence  shook  his  head. 

"  Where  were  you  born  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know." 

"Is  your  mother  dead?" 

"  I  never  saw  my  mother,"  sighed  the  mother 
less  boy. 

"  Where  have  you  been  living  ?  " 

"  In  England." 

"All  your  life?" 

"  No,"  said  the  child  after  a  pause,  in  which 
he  seemed  lost  in  thought.  "  I  remember  an 
other  land  where  the  sun  was  warmer,  where 


LORETTO  ;   OR,    THE   CHOICE.  137 

grapes  and  oranges  grew  on  the  hills.  I  remem- 
*ber  travelling  far  and  crossing  the  water,  and 
feeling  cold,  and  finding  different  fruits  and 
different  people.  I  could  not  understand  what 
they  said.  Then  we  crossed  the  water  again, 
and  found  it  still  colder,  and  everything  differ 
ent  again —  it  was  England." 

O  O 

"How  long  were  you  there?" 

"  Oh,  a  long  time,  three  or  four  years." 

"Have  you  always  been  poor?" 

"  Yes,  always  poor,  but  not  so  poor  as  now ; 
father,  is  sick  so  often." 

"What  does  your  father  do  for  a  living?" 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  Does  he  work  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  We  travel  about  from  city  to 
city.  He  is  with  me  nearly  all  day,  puts  me  to 
bed  at  night,  kisses  me,  tells  me  to  go  to  sleep 
and  bids  me  good-by.  When  I  wake  in  the 
morning  I  find  him  lying  beside  me." 

"  You  spoke  of  a  warmer  land,"  whispered 
Gabriel. 

"  Yes, "  said  the  boy,  eagerly,  his  eyes  glisten 
ing  with  tears,  "a  land  where  I  wish  to  die.  I 
should  go  to  heaven  if  I  died  there,  it  seems  to 
be  so  much  nearer  heaven  than  any  other  place 
on  earth  is." 

"A  land  of  hills  and  grapes!  Are  you  a 
Catholic?" 


138  LOEETTO;    OB,    THE    CHOICE. 

Clarence  opened  his  jacket  and  showed  a  silver 
medal  hanging  over  his  white  breast. 

"  Your  father  too  a  Catholic  ?  " 

"Yes;  he  hears  me  my  prayers  and  takes  me 
with  him  to  mass  on  Sundays." 

During  the  conversation  Gabriel  had  not  for 
gotten  to  refresh  the  child  from  the  bundle,  and 
from  his  own  deep,  exhaustless  pocket.  Observ 
ing  that  the  lids  seemed  to  droop  over  those 
young  eyes  he  forbore  any  further  questioning. 
Soon  the  untasted  apple  dropped  from  the  boy's 
hands  —  he  had  fallen  asleep  on  Gabriel's  bosom. 

"  Sleep  soundly,  sweet  child !  "  but  as  he  spoke 
Clarence  woke,  gazing  round  for  his  father. 

"Undress,  my  boy,  I  will  watch  your  father 
to-night." 

"  Will  you  ?  "  said  Clarence,  kissing  his  hand 
and  looking  into  his  eyes.  "  Yes,  you  will !  I 
will  trust  you.  Wake  me  if  he  wants  anything." 
So  saying,  he  knelt  and  said  his  customary 
prayers  with  his  head  between  Gabriel's  knees ; 
then  timidly  crept  into  his  beautiful  bed,  and  in 
an  instant  went  sound  asleep. 

Gabriel  knelt  some  time  over  his  young  charge, 
then  rose  and  approached  the  sick  man  on  tip 
toe.  The  invalid  for  the  first  time  moved, 
his  brow  contracted,  and  a  slight  spasm  passed 
over  his  face.  Then  growing  more  and  more 


LORETTO  ;    OK,    THE    CHOICE.  139 

restless,  he  drew  his  arms  from  under  the  thick 
quilt,  his  head  began  to  rock,  and  finally  he 
turned  on  his  side  with  his  face  to  the  wall,  as 
if  oppressed  by  Gabriel's  presence.  Gabriel  still 
stood  over  him,  with  an  expression  of  peculiar 
solicitude  and  sadness.  Suddenly  he  placed  his 
hand  over  the  stranger's  heart;  a  deep  groan 
answered  the  touch. 

Melville's  foot  was  on  the  staircase .  Gabriel 
fell  back  from  the  bed,  and  as  he  did  so  the  sick 
man  returned  to  his  former  position  and  lay  as 
quietly  as  before. 

"The  carriage  is  at  the  door,"  said  Melville; 
"you  had  better  return  and  report  that  all  is 
going  on  well.  I  shall  keep  watch  to-night." 

Scarcely  had  the  door  closed  on  Gabriel  than 
Melville,  taking  the  candle  from  the  hearth,  ap 
proached  the  sufferer.  With  a  trembling  hand 
he  pressed  the  matted  hair  back  from  the  pale 
forehead. 

"  Yes  !  it  is  he  !  "  Pale  as  the  sleeper  himself, 
lie  replaced  the  candle,  and  throwing  himself  in 
a  chair,  abandoned  himself  to  the  most  harrow 
ing  thoughts.  The  scene  itself,  apart  from  asso 
ciation,  was  calculated  to  impress  him  deeply. 
There  lay  that  beautiful  boy,  his  cheek  resting 
on  his  hand,  a  calm  smile  playing  around  his 
half-opened  mouth  ;  there  lay  the  father  as  stern 


140  LORETTO  ;   OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

and  still  as  death.  The  wind  sighed  mournfully 
through  the  broken  panes  and  loose  sashes,  and 
rustled  along  the  tattered  hangings.  Melville 
was  too  much  excited  to  think  collectedly,  and 
the  night  seemed  to  him  as  endless  as  it  does  to 
a  wounded  soldier  on  the  battle-field.  The  candle 
flickered  in  its  socket,  the  formless  shadows 
danced  over  the  wall  and  ceiling.  Twelve 
o'clock  sounded,  faintly  tolled  from  afar  off ; 
the  unwearying  wheel  of  sin  and  pleasure  is 
spinning  around;  his  brain  is  spinning  too;  he 
feels  tempted  to  rush  from  the  room  into  the 
open  air.  At  first,  anxious  to  gratify  his  curi 
osity,  he  wished  the  sleeper  to  wake ;  its  was 
too  painful  to  watch  that  white,  motionless  form, 
alive,  but  giving  no  sign  of  life,  a  stranger,  and 
yet  perhaps  something  more  than  a  friend.  But 
now,  though  not  easily  daunted,  he  trembled  lest 
he  should  awake,  he  prayed  that  he  might  sleep 
on  till  morning  light.  And  yet  he  could  not 
compose  himself;  in  spite  of  his  utmost  efforts 
he  paced  up  and  down  the  room.  He  lit  another 
candle  brought  by  Gabriel ;  its  clear  light  relieved 
the  sepulchral  aspect  of  the  room,  his  spirits 
rose,  he  laughed  at  his  childish  dejection,  and 
forced  himself  to  hum  over  some  of  his  favorite 
songs.  His  back  was  turned  to  the  sleeper; 
there  is  a  sudden  start,  a  motion  in  the  bed! 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  141 

The  song  froze  on  his  lips,  a  chill  went  through 
his  heart.  Turning,  as  if  he  had  been  wrenched 
round  by  a  hand  of  iron,  he  saw  the  figure  sitting 
upright,  he  saw  two  unnaturally  large  eyes  fixed 
upon  him ;  it  was  as  if  a  corpse  had  risen  in  the 
terror  and  majesty  of  death,  as  if  the  soul  had 
returned  from  its  last  errand  to  drag  the  body 
after  it. 

Melville,  unable  to  speak,  stood  gazing  at  the 
spectral  stranger ;  it  was  a  pause  of  fearful 
silence;  the  apparition  was  the  first  to  speak. 

"  Who  are  you  ?"  sounded  in  a  hollow  voice. 

"  A  friend,"  replied  Melville,  conquering  his 
awe  and  advancing.  "You  must  pardon  this 
intrusion,  it  is  kindly  meant." 

"Where  is  Clarence?"  continued  the  other, 
searching  the  room  with  a  rolling  eye. 

o  o       j 

"  Asleep  at  the  foot  of  your  bed." 

"  Poor  fellow,  he  has  a  hard  time  of  it.  Raise 
me,  let  me  see  him." 

Melville  raised  him  in  his  arms  until  the  boy 
was  in  view.  The  stranger,  clasping  his  hands  in 
mute  thankfulness  over  his  breast,  sank  back  on 
his  meagre  pillow  and  wept ;  ay,  that  stern  man 
wept,  and  his  face  became  as  soft  as  a  woman's. 

"Am  I  indebted  to  you  for  this?"  he  said, 
feebly  pressing  Melville's  hand. 

Melville  shook  his  head  and  related  the  cir- 


142  LOKETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

cumstances  that  led  to  his  discovery,  bringing 
Agnes  forward  in  the  beautiful  relief  she  occu 
pied  in  his  o\vn  fancy. 

"And  who  is  she,  this  angel  of  mercy?" 

"Melville  hesitated  —  he  felt  himself  on  dan 
gerous  ground  —  her  name  might  excite  an  agi 
tation  fatal  to  the  patient. 

"  My  sister,"  he  replied. 

"  And  your  name  is" 

"Melville." 

"  Melville ! "  repeated  the  other,  drawing  his 
fingers  across  his  forhead,  "  Melville. " 

"  I  think  we  have  met  before, "  and  as  the 
stranger  searched  his  features,  he  began  — 

"lam  a  wanderer!'1'' 

"Indeed!  —  The  music  store  in  London?  — 
Has  that  Avretched,  impious  song  served  to  con 
nect  me  in  sympathy  with  any  human  being. 
Oh,  Mr.  Melville,  I  have  changed  since  then  ! 
I  am  still  a  wanderer,  still  a  prodigal,  still  a  vil 
lain,  it  may  be,  but  that  boy  has  bettered  me, 
saved  me.  These  are  almost  the  first  tears  I 
have  shed  since  childhood ;  but  long  accus 
tomed  to  hardship  and  neglect,  your  sister's 
kindness  at  this  moment  makes  me  weep.  I 
might  scorn  it,  if  rendered  to  me  alone,  but 
to  that  child  —  Bless  her !  bless  her  !  and  the  un 
bidden  tears  coursed  down  his  wasted  cheeks. 


LORETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE.  143 

"  Poor  boy,"  he  resumed,  "  he  leads  a  lonely 
life  with  me,  and  yet  I  have  seen  him,  for 
hours  at  a  time,  playing  and  talking  with  in 
visible  companions  —  his  angels,  as  he  calls 
them.  And  who  will  say  that  those  blessed 
spirits  may  not  appear  to  a  lonely,  motherless 
boy,  clad 'in  baptismal  innocence — that  heaven 
may  not  minister  to  such  a  child,  deprived  of 
every  earthly  pleasure ! " 

Much  as  Melville  wrished  to  hear  more  he 
begged  his  patient,  who  was  already  exhausted, 
to  compose  himself  to  sleep.  He  had  prudently 
brought  some  liquid  nourishment,  which  he 
prevailed  on  him  to  take  —  there  was  no  need 
of  medicine;  the  man  was  well,  and  only  re 
quired  care.  Whenever  he  attempted  to  speak 
Melville  imposed  silence  by  laying  his  fingers  on 
his  lips,  saying, — 

"  We  will  converse  to-morrow." 

At  last  the  wanderer's  eyes  closed  —  it  was 
no  longer  a  dull  stagnation  of  the  body,  but  a 
calm,  refreshing  sleep.  Melville  was  compara 
tively  happy;  happy  in  the  consciousness  of 
doing  good,  happy  that  a  new  tie  between  him 
and  Agnes  was  spun.  But  a  task  full  of  diffi 
culty,  requiring  the  greatest  prudence  and  deli 
cacy,  was  before  him.  Agnes  had  promised  to 
return  in  the  morning,  and  how  to  palm  her  off 


144  LORETTO;    OE,    THE    CHOICE. 

• 

for  his  sister  without  awakening  suspicion  as 
strong  as  his  own  he  knew  not.  Lei,  too, 
would  be  sure  to  call  her  cousin  by  name;  — 
one  word  might  cost  the  invalid  his  life.  It 
was  necessary  to  make  a  confidant  of  Lei ;  thus 
he  hoped,  by  practicing  a  harmless  piece  of  de 
ception,  to  obviate  the  danger.  He  felt  that  he 
was  adopting  the  best  course  under  the  circum 
stances,  and  assured  of  the  success  of  his  plans 
the  night  passed  swiftly  by. 

Gabriel  came  with  the  sun,  bringing  a  gla 
zier's  box  and  a  pair  of  window  curtains;  he 
had  a  knack  of  doing  everything  useful;  and 
during  the  evening  before,  detecting  the  ab 
sence  of  three  entire  panes  of  glass,  he  deter 
mined  to  replace  them  himself. 

Melville  could  not  repress  a  smile. 

"Do  not  go  to  work  until  he  is  wide  awake," 
was  his  parting  charge. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

ARLY  the  next  morning  Melville  pre 
sented    himself  at   Mr.    Almy's   door. 
The  "  royal  merchant "  was  on  his  way 
to  the  counting-house,  but  the  young  ladies  were 


LORETTO  ;   OK,   THE   CHOICE.  145 

expecting  him  with  their  bonnets  on,  ready  to 
start  for  the  scene  of  distress. 

Lei  stared  at  him  in  amazement. 

"  Remember  —  "  I  am  a  wanderer  ! ' '  They 
exchanged  a  look  of  intelligence,  and  sepa 
rated. 

"Do  you  think  he  will  recover?"  inquired 
Agnes. 

"  He  has  recovered, "  replied  Melville  ;  "  all 
he  wants  is  proper  nourishment.  His  mind  is 
a  little  disordered  yet;  for  I  noticed  that  he 
persisted  in  calling  you  my  sister,  and  that  my 
explanations,  instead  of  correcting  his  unac 
countable  impression,  only  annoyed  him.  I 
think  it  better  for  you  not  to  contradict  him." 

"  Of  course  not,"  said  Agnes.  "  But  let  us 
start." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  walk  ?  "  said  Melville. 

"  Certainly,"  cried  Lei.  "  I  never  ride  when 
I  can  walk.  If  we  walked  longer,  we'd  wear 
longer,  all  of  us." 

Gabriel  had  wrought  a  wondrous  change ;  the 
broken  panes  are  restored,  the  old  ones  washed ; 
instead  of  being  obscured  by  dingy  blankets  and 
old  clothes,  the  windows  are  now  ornamented 
with  neat  green  curtains ;  the  floor  is  brushed 
and  sprinkled  with  water ;  the  chairs  are  sym 
metrically  arranged ;  the  trunk  answers  all  the 


146  LORETTO;   OK,    THE    CHOICE. 

purposes  of  a  sofa ;  Clarence's  bed  is  prettily 
coiled  up  in  one  corner ;  the  light  fumes  of  a  pas- 
tile  are  curling  around  the  mantelpiece ;  there  is 
an  air  of  comfort  and  convalescence. 

They  found  Gabriel  washing  his  hands,  the 
stranger  propped  up  in  bed  by  pillows ;  he  was 
quite  as  much  changed  as  the  room.  His  long 
sleep  and  Gabriel's  razor  and  linen  had  made 
him  another  man.  He  was  playing  with  Clar 
ence's  long  silken  hair  as  they  entered.  Clar 
ence,  who  had  been  listening  eagerly,  no  sooner 
recognized  Agnes  than  he  flew  to  meet  her  like 
a  young  bird  to  its  mother's  beak. 

Already  there  may  have  been  noticed  in  the 
stranger's  manner  what  the  world  calls  breeding. 

•j  O 

Lei  and  Agnes  were  surprised  to  find  every  ap 
pearance  of  gentility  in  the  sufferer  whom  they 
came  to  relieve.  Melville  and  Lei  both  saw  that 
his  eye  was  fixed  on  Agnes,  and  that  although 
he  turned  from  her  when  replying  to  their  in 
quiries  about  his  health  it  required  an  effort  to 
do  so. 

"  I  know  not  how  to  thank  you,  Miss  Melville," 
he  said,  "  this  little  boy  must  do  it  for  me.  I  am 
perhaps  incapable  of  gratitude,  certainly  unable 
to  express  it,  having  rarely  been  called  upon  to 
feel  it." 

Again  they  were  surprised,  not  only  at  his  Ian- 


LORETTO  J   OR,   THE   CHOICE.  147 

gttage,  but  at  the  cultivated  tone  in  which  the 
words  were  uttered. 

"  I  know  not,"  he  continued,  "why  you  are  so 
kind  to  a  friendless  wanderer,  nor  will  I  ask ;  the 
only  reward  I  can  promise  is  the  prayers  of  my 
child." 

"  Reward  enough  for  a  Christian,"  said  Agnes, 
patting  the  golden  head  that  was  leaning  against 
her. 

The  stranger  trembled ;  her  voice,  her  look, 
her  motion,  all  reminded  him  too  painfully  of  one 
whom  she  resembled.  A  deep  flush  passed  over 
his  pale  cheek,  his  bosom  heaved,  his  eyes  glowed 
an  instant  with  the  unnatural  light  of  delirium, 
and  after  an  inward  struggle,  the  shadow  of  fixed, 
familiar  agony  overspread  his  features.  Melville 
trembled  too ;  he  feared  lest  they  should  discover 
the  likeness  which  existed  between  them,  and 
which  was  growing  stronger  every  moment ;  he 
knew  not  how  they  could  be  blind  to  a  resem 
blance  so  evident  to  him.  Agnes  ascribed  his 
emotion  to  mental  weakness,  and  fearing  that 
their  j-resence  might  retard  his  recovery,  would 
have  gone ;  but  she  felt  herself  attracted  to  him 
by  a  mysterious,  overpowering  influence.  She 
longed  to  stay  and  hear  more  from  the  singular 
man  in  whom  she  took  such  a  strange  interest ; 
his  face,  his  voice,  his  manner  touched  her  heart ; 


148  LOKETTO;   OK,   THE   CHOICE. 

his  evident  refinement  of  person  and  feeling,  his 
miserable  situation,  inspired  her  with  a  wish  to 
communicate  more  freely  with  him  —  a  wish  that 
was  not  altogether  female  curiosity.  It  seemed 
to  her  as  if  she  could  sit  forever  in  the  chair  on 
which  Clarence  used  to  sleep, —  sit  there  forever 
and  listen  to  him,  pray  for  him,  nurse  him,  and 
console  him. 

In  vain  they  endeavored  to  recall,  by  indiffer 
ent  questions,  his  former  cheerfulness  and  com 
posure  ;  something  had  passed  within  his  soul 
which  forbade  it.  His  eye  no  longer  sought 
Agnes;  he  seemed  to  avoid  meeting  hers;  her 
presence  oppressed  him. 

"Let  us  be  gone,"  whispered  Lei. 

Agnes  reluctantly  assented ;  but  first  taking 
Clarence  by  the  hand, — 

"  Trust  me  with  your  child  until  this  after 
noon,"  she  said  ;  "  I  will  return  him  safe." 

"  Take  him !  "  muttered  the  stranger  ;  "  take 
him ! "  and  with  a  look  that  startled  her,  he 
pressed  her  hand  to  his  lips. 

"  He  is  wandering,"  whispered  Lei.        ? 

Clarence,  blushing  and  hesitating,  kissed  his 
father  good-by,  and  taking  his  ragged  hat,  fol 
lowed  the  young  ladies  into  the  street. 

"Do  not  stay  for  me,  Mr.  Melville,"  said  the 
stranger  after  a  long  silence,  "  you  have  had  no 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  149 

sleep.  I  am  but  a  poor  chorus-singer,  unworthy 
your  attention." 

"A  chorus-singer  in  an  opera?"  inquired  Mel 
ville. 

«Yes." 

"  Where  is  your  company  ?  " 

"  They  left  me  here  unable  to  follow  them. 
Once  it  would  have  been  otherwise,  but  I  am 
losing  my  voice  and  am  no  longer  indispensable. 
They  were  right  in  leaving  me." 

"  Can  you  obtain  a  support  in  this  way  ?  " 

"  Enough  to  live  when  I  am  well,  enough  to 
die  when  I  am  sick.  I  should  be  contented  but 
for  Clarence." 

"  I  might,"  said  Melville,  respectfully,  "  I  might 
possibly  obtain  for  you  more  becoming  and  lucra 
tive  employment. 

"  No ! "  replied  the  stranger,  with  a  touch  of 
pride;  rny  present  life  is  my  free  choice,  or  I 
could  change  it  myself." 

There  was  a  long  pause. 

"Do  you  not  love  your  sister?  "he  resumed. 

Melville  could  say  "yes,"  with  a  clear  con 
science. 

"  Then  never  let  her  marry.  Who  was  that 
bright  young  creature  with  her?  she  is  made  for 
the  world." 

"Miss  Ellen  Aliny." 


150  LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  The  merchant's  daughter?"  cried  the  other, 
shuddering.  Melville,  internally  lamenting  his 
imprudence,  nodded  affirmatively. 

Again  the  "Wanderer's  face  grew  dark,  and 
with  agony  keener  than  before. 

"Leave  me,  Mr.  Melville,"  he  said;  "think 
not  harshly  of  my  bluntness  —  but  I  must  be 
alone,  I  must  be  alone.  Come  to-night,  my 
friend,  come  alone. 

Clarence  and  his  fair  protectors  had  reached 
the  centre  of  the  city.  Agnes  still  held  the  boy 
by  the  hand,  and  Lei,  though  sensible  of  the  sin 
gular  appearance  they  were  making,  had  not  the 
heart  to  remonstrate  with  her  cousin.  Whom 
should  they  meet  but  the  queenly  Mrs.  IToity, 
sweeping  the  pavement  with  her  satin  skirts. 
Glancing  at  Agnes  with  ineffable  disdain,  she 
threw  a  side  leer  to  Lei,  and,  when  they  had 
passed,  indulged  a  hearty  well-fed  laugh,  and 
raised  her  hands  in  majestic  depreciation,  ex 
claimed,  "  La  me !  so  much  for  having  country 
cousins.  Were  it  not  for  Mr.  Alrny's  sake  I 
would  positively  decline  dining  with  her  to-day." 

LTnterrified  by  the  apparition  Agnes  retained 
her  hold  until  they  reached  a  first-class  clothing 
store.  Clarence  was  placed  in  the  shopkeeper's 
hands,  and  reappeared  in  a  handsome  dress. 
Dress  makes  many  a  fool  pass  current,  and  many 


LORETTO  J    OK,    THE    CHOICE.  151 

a  monster  human.  Few  children  in  any  station 
of  life,  though  perfumed  and  petted  from  the  cra 
dle,  could  compare  with  Clarence  in  his  new  suit. 
Agnes  did  not  see  so  great  an  alteration;  but 
to  Lei  the  transformation  was  little  short  of  the 
miraculous.  A  handsome  cloth  cap  completed 
his  equipment. 

He  bore  his  honors  meekly  and  naturally,  ap 
pearing  just  as  much  at  ease  and  quite  as  unaf 
fected  and  self-forgetting  as  when  adorning  his 
rags. 

"He  is  made  to  be  loved"  thought  Lei.  "I 
wonder  what  his  life  will  be!  Now,  Clarence," 
she  continued  aloud,  "  you  must  go  home  with 
us  and  take  a  ride.  After  dinner  you  shall  go 
home." 

" Home!"  sighed  Agnes,  opening  the  door  and 
looking  up  at  the  clear  blue  skies. 

Lei  threw  a  cloak  over  the  child's  shoulders, 
and  ordered  the  bill  to  be  sent  home. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

R.  ALMY  had  invited  the  elite  of  the 
city,  Mrs.  Hoity  amongst  others,  to  dine 
with  Agnes.    We  need  not  describe  the 
various  courses,  or  enumerate  the  delicacies  pro- 


152  LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

vided  by  epicurean  waiters ;  things  exacting  so 
much  time  and  health  are  better  forgotten  than 
remembered. 

If  Agnes  was  amazed  at  the  profusion  and  ele 
gance  of  the  table,  what  shall  we  say  of  little 
Clai'ence,  dazzled  by  the  -flashing  decanters,  and 
confounded  by  the  majestic  personages  who  ap 
peared  to  be  as  much  at  home  as  wild  pigeons  in 
an  oak-tree?  Poor  boy!  his  only  hope  was  in 
Agnes. 

Mrs.  Hoity,  upon  whom  Clarence  had  made  a 
favorable  impression,  at  length  deigned  to  ask 
Agnes,  next  whom  she  sat,  the  charming  urchin's 
name. 

"  I  know  not,"  was  the  reply,  "but  he  is  the 
ragged  boy  you  passed  this  morning." 

The  proud  widow's  face  turned  to  a  deeper 
crimson,  as  she  cooled  her  quivering  lip  in  a 
glass  of  billowy  champagne.  It  was  insufferable 
to  be  in  contact  with  such  innate,  unblushing 
vulgarity,  and,  had  not  respect  for  Mr.  Almy 
restrained  her,  she  would  have  left  the  table. 

Lei  had  guessed  the  conversation,  her  eye 
sparkled  with  a  wicked  light,  and  quick  as 
thought,  she  interposed,  — 

"It  is  only  a  habit  he  has  of  exchanging 
clothes  with  the  first  beggar  he  meets.  He  is 
the  only  son  of  Mr.  Melville's  sister,  who,  you 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  153 

should  remember,  married  Count  de  la  Roche, 
now  dead." 

"  You  could  not  deceive  me,  Miss  Cleveland," 
resumed  Mrs.  Hoity,  with  a  bitter  accent.  "  I 
can  always  recognize  blood" 

Agnes,  surprised  at  Lei's  bold  falsehood,  paid 
no  attention  to  her  neighbor's  remark ;  but  Mr. 
Almy  and  Melville  could  scarcely  contain  them 
selves. 

From  that  moment  Clarence  was  Mrs.  Hoity's 
idol ;  she  overwhelmed  him  with  her  bland  re 
gards,  throwing  them  across  Agnes,  who  sat  be 
tween  them,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  fan  her  cold 
by  their  rapid  transmission.  Agnes,  unmindful 
of  jest  and  dainty,  thought  of  the  poor  wanderer 
on  his  clingy  bed  — thought  of  the  future  await 
ing  the  beautiful  boy  at  her  side,  who  looked  as 
though  he  were  realizing  the  wildest  pageant  of 
the  Arabian  Nights. 

She  was  glad  when  the  ladies  had  permission 
to  retire  to  the  parlor,  where  they  were  to  have 
some  music  from  Lei.  During  the  performance 
Mrs.  Hoity,  whose  love  for  music  was  not  excess 
ive,  employed  herself  in  arranging  Clarence's 
curls,  smoothing  and  twisting  them  to  greater 
symmetry.  Once,  with  a  praiseworthy  gush  of 
tenderness,  she  actually  kissed  him  on  the  fore 
head.  Clarence,  whose  soul  was  in  the  music, 


154  LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

was  annoyed  and  ashamed,  especially  as  he 
wanted  confidence  in  his  patroness. 

It  was  growing  dark  —  the  ladies  were  pre 
paring  to  leave  as  Melville  appeared. 

"  It  is  time  for  the  boy  to  go  home,"  he  said. 

"  We  will  take  him,"  said  Lei. 

•'  No,"  replied  Melville,  "  his  father  begs  to  be 
excused  until  to-morrow;  he  was  too  much  agi 
tated  this  morning." 

"His  father!"  muttered  Mrs.  Hoity  to  her 
self.  "There  is  a  mystery  here ;  I  have  been  de 
ceived  ! "  But,  haughty  as  she  was,  she  feared 
.to  resent  an  insult  offered  by  the  daughter  of 
him  she  coveted,  and  smoothing  her  ruffled 
feathers  as  well  as  she  could,  she  said  good  even 
ing,  without  so  much  as  a  parting  look  to  the 
young  Count,  who,  a  moment  before,  had  been 
so  high  in  her  heart. 

"Oh!  thou  glorious  sample  of  humanity!" 
laughed  Lei,  when  they  were  alone. 

"  I  shall  see  you  early  to-morrow,"  said  Agnes 
to  Clarence. 

The  child  looked  up  in  her  face  as  if  they 
were  parting  forever.  There  is  a  presentiment 
of  separation  sometimes  felt,  without  our  being 
able  to  say  why ;  we  have  no  reason  to  fear,  yet 
the  event  justifies  the  apprehension.  It  may  be 
that  a  young,  sensitive  soul  is  influenced  and 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  155 

forewarned  by  certain  signs,  of  which  the  mind 
takes  no  notice,  or,  noticing,  rejects.  Thus  it 
was  with  Clarence  ;  as  he  beheld  her  pure,  lov 
ing  face  shining  on  him,  all  he  had  ever  known 
of  a  mother,  he  heard  a  voice  saying,  "  Linger ! 
Linger !  Years  must  pass  before  you  meet 
again  !  "  • 

Agnes  slipped  into  his  pocket  all  that  re 
mained  of  her  uncle's  bounty;  Lei  increased  the 
sum.  Completely  overcome,  the  boy  seized  their 
hands,  and,  kneeling  before  them,  his  uplifted 
face  pale  with  emotion  and  wet  with  tears,  said 
in  a  firm  voice, — 

"  O,  God,  reward  them  well !  " 

It  was  ten  o'clock ;  Melville  had  not  yet  re 
turned.  Lei  and  Agnes  were  playing  chess; 
they  could  hear,  now  and  then,  the  sound  of  rev 
elry  in  the  dining-room.  At  last  it  ceased,  and 
Mr.  Almy  presented  himself. 

"What's  become  of  Melville?"  he  cried. 
"  Hang  the  fellow  !  why  did  he  cut  us  just  when 
we  wanted  him  most  ?  It  is  bad  enough  for  you 
ladies  to  retreat,  without  enticing  after  you  our 
best  men,  our  picked  soldiers,  our  tentli  legion." 

"  Mr.  Melville,"  said  Lei,  keeping  her  eye  on 
the  board,  "  went  home  with  Clarence." 

"  Went  to  the  devil ! "  muttered  Mr.  Almy, 
burying  himself  in  a  chair.  "Oh,  excuse  me, 


156  LOBETTO;   OK,    THE   CHOICE. 

Miss  Agnes,"  he  added,  seeing  her  astonishment ; 
"his  Satanic  Majesty  is  a  right  respectable  fel 
low  after  all." 

Lei  pressed  her  foot  on  her  cousin's  and  bit 
her  lip  until  it  was  white. 

"The  idea,"  continued  Mr.  Almy,  "the  bare 
idea  of  leaving  such  wine  for  the  sake  of  a  wan 
dering  brat !  I  could  excuse  him,"  waving  his 
hand  to  Agnes,  "  if  beauty  had  been  the  attrac 
tion  ;  but  to  insult  me  in  my  own  house  out  of 
charity  —  unnecessary,  wanton,  superfluous  char 
ity.  Lei !  light  my  cigar." 

Agnes  could  see  him  without  turning  her  face, 
So  completely  was  her  uncle  lost  in  the  object 
before  her  that  she  caught  herself  hoping  that 
the  real  Mr.  Almy  would  appear  and  expel  the 
creature  that  aped  him. 

They  went  on  playing,  Lei  keeping  her  eye  riv 
eted  on  the  board.  Before  the  game  was  over 
her  father  fell  into  a  deep,  heavy  sleep. 

"Come,"  whispered  Lei,  hearing  his  loud 
breathing  and  taking  Agnes  by  the  hand.  They 
met  Gabriel  on  the  steps,  but  Lei  paused  not 
until  she  reached  her  room ;  then,  locking  the 
door,  she  threw  herself  into  Agnes'  arms,  sob 
bing,  "  Oh,  my  father !  my  father  ! " 


LORETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE.  157 


CHAPTER  XV. 

T  break  of  clay  Gabriel  repaired  to  the 
Wanderer's  room  ;  it  was  empty  ;  the 
old  trunk  was  no  longer  there ;  the  beds 
were  tenahtless ;  Clarence  and  his  mysterious 
father  had  disappeared  !  He  played  with  the  new 
green  curtains,  and  looked  through  the  clear  new 
panes  which  he  had  inserted  with  so  much  care ; 
it  was  work  thrown  away,  love's  labor  lost. 

He  waited  half  an  hour  ;  they  came  not.  He 
inquired  below,  but  learned  nothing.  Murmur 
ing  a  prayer,  he  glided  from  the  room.  Lei  and 
Agnes  were  on  the  staircase. 

"  They  have  gone,"  he  whispered,  and  passed 
them  like  a  spirit. 

Two  weeks  have  flown  without  tidings  of  the 
"Wanderer  and  his  beautiful  boy.  They  made 
diligent  search,  but  in  vain.  Melville,  the  last 
who  saw  him,  said  that  he  left  him  sitting  up ; 
that  his  departure  was  entirely  unexpected  ;  that 
he  had  no  intelligence  of  his  movements.  The 
stranger  had  made  a  deep  impression  upon  Ag 
nes  ;  his  pale  face  haunted  her,  and  appeared  in 
all  her  dreams.  Clarence,  too,  had  become  so 
dear  to  her  that  she  wept  when  she  thought  of 


158  LORETTo:    OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

him.  She  was  heartily  tired  of  the  city,  notwith 
standing  Lei's  affection,  Mr.  Almy's  kindness, 
and  Melville's  devotion.  She  longed  for  the  soli 
tude  of  Loretto ;  for  her  mother,  the  Colonel, 
the  convent.  , 

Nor  was  Lei  happier.  Alas,  poor  Lei !  That 
sweet  singing-bird  was  drooping  in  the  cage ; 
light-hearted  as  she  was,  it  did  not  require  a  mi 
croscope  to  detect  the  worm  of  grief  lurking  be 
neath  the  gayly  tinted  rind  of  merriment.  She 
saw  that  Melville  loved  Agnes  ;  she  could  not 
help  seeing  it.  Vanity  of  vanities  !  "When  the 
eye  that  once  sought  us  no  longer  seeks ;  when 
the  cheek  that  once  glowed  no  longer  blushes  ; 
when  the  lips  that  once  blessed  no  longer  greet 
us;  when  the  hand  that  once  trembled  in  ours  is 
cold  and  steady ;  when  the  heart  we  held,  like  a 
juggler's  ball,  has  eluded  our  grasp,  —  then,  for 
sooth,  we  are  ready  to  die  ;  the  world  is  desolate ; 
the  skies  are  sunless;  there  is  no  life  on  the  plain, 
no  light  on  the  hills,  and  friendship  itself  is  no 
longer  welcome,  because  our  pride  is  humbled, 
because  a  human  being  has  changed,  though  above 
us  and  around  us  the  unchanging  love  of  God  is 

o       o 

beckoning  on  our  souls  to  one  who  never  disap 
points,  to  raptures  that  cannot  pall.  Alas,  poor 
Lei! 

Bitterly,   bitterly   did   she   feel   it ;     yet   she 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  159 

blamed  him  not,  and  least  of  all  did  she  blame 
Agnes,  the  innocent  cause  of  her  sorrow.  The 
wounded  pride  that  caused  her  pain  helped  her 
to  conceal  it,  too.  She  had  not  to  endure  the 
shame,  the  degradation  of  being  supplanted  by 
an  unworthy  rival ;  his  choice  of  Agnes  displayed 
an  elevation  of  soul  that  went  far  to  excuse  his 
fickleness.  Yet  the  wound  was  deep  ;  deeper 
than  it  seemed.  She  tried  to  heal  it  with  music; 
but  every  chord  was  only  musical  of  the  past,  of 
the  blessed  past,  from  which  she  was  forever 
separated.  How  beautiful  seemed  that  quiet 
convent  which  the  Colonel  detested  !  Had 
religion  a  balm  which  even  music  could  not 
bestow  ? 

Melville  was  in  a  tumult ;  he  had  had  a  con 
versation  with  the  Wanderer  which  disturbed 
him ;  Mr.  Almy,  at'  Agnes'  request,  had  in 
formed  him  of  her  intention  to  be  a  nun ;  she 
meant  to  return  to  Loretto  in  a  week  —  her  re 
turn  would  confirm  her  resolution  ;  it  was  neces 
sary,  though  their  acquaintance  had  been  brief, 
to  come  to  the  point  at  once. 

The  moment  at  length  arrived  when  he  might 
speak;  he  and  Agnes  were  alone  together  in 
the  parlor,  thanks  to  Lei,  who,  with  feminine 
delicacy,  guessing  and  respecting  his  purpose, 


160  LORETTO;    OR,   THE   CHOICE. 

had  prevailed  upon  her  father  to  take  a  long 
walk. 

It  is  hard  to  say  whether  these  vert/  particular 
interviews  are  more  embarrassing  to  the  narra 
tor  or  the  parties  themselves. 

Melville,  of  course,  like  a  popular  orator, 
began  as  far  off  from  the  real  question  as  pos 
sible.  However,  after  some  preliminary  mean 
dering,  he  innocently  said,  — 

"  You  have  some  idea  of  entering  a  convent  ?  " 

"  Who  has  told  you'so?  "  replied  Agnes,  smil 
ing. 

"Mr.  Almy.     Is  it  so?" 

"  Not  exactly  so,"  pursued  Agnes  quietly ; 
"'some  idea  of  entering  a  convent'  does  not 
express  my  deliberate,  unalterable  resolution  to 
do  it." 

Melville  was  frozen  by  her  firm,  unrelenting 
tone,  but,  summoning  all  his  courage,  he  pro 
ceeded  :  — 

"  Do  you  think,  Miss  Cleveland,  that,  instead 
of  leading  a  life  useful  to  your  fellow-creatures, 
you  are  justified  in  immuring  yourself  in  a  cell, 
where  you  can  be  of  no  service  to  them  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  '  useful  to  my  fellow- 
creatures?'"  returned  Agnes.  "Is  it  by  living 
as  your  friends  in  this  city  do  ?  " 

"  By  taking  your  proper  place  in  society  to 
correct  and  adorn  it." 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  1G1 

"You  do  me  too  much  honor,"  said  Agnes, 
"But  if,  instead  of  correcting  and  adorning  it, 
I  feel  certain  that  it  will  infect  and  deform  me?" 

"Ho\v  can  you  be  certain  of  this?" 

"  By  the  practice  of  my  religion." 

"Are  there  not  some,  at  least,  in  the  world 
who  by  their  virtues  diminish  its  vices?" 

"  Certainly,"  she  said  ;  "  but  I  am  not  one  of 
the  number." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  you  are  not  ?  " 

"  By  the  practice  of  my  religion." 

He  could  not,  for  the  life  of  him,  help  wishing 
her  a  heathen. 

"  Does  the  practice  of  your  religion  permit 
you  to  rob  us  of  your  good  example  ?  " 

"  If  the  example  I  set  in  giving  myself  entirely 
to  God  has  no  effect,  I  do  not  see  how  I  could 
well  be  a  pattern." 

"But  do  you  give  yourself  entirely  to  God 
when  you  sacrifice  man  ?  " 

"  ./sacrifice  man  !  Why  Mr.  Melville,  a  great 
statesman  dies  and  is  forgotten  in  three  days; 
cannot  I  enter  a  convent  without  slaughtering  a 
hecatomb?" 

"  But  if  all  thought  as  you  do  what  would  it 
end  in  ?  " 

"  Heaven ! "  cried  Agnes,  brightening  as  she 
spoke.  "  It  appears  to  me  that  you  people  of  the 


162  LOKETTO;    OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

•world  are  very  hard  upon  those  who  wish  to 
consecrate  themselves  to  God,  while  you  exact 
no  account  from  the  vast  majorities  who  belong 
neither  to  God  nor  man  —  I  mean  society.  I  tell 
you,  Mr.  Melville,  that  the  motives  which  keep 
people  in  the  world  are  infinitely  inferior  to 
those  which  take  them  out  of  it  into  the  cloister. 
But  to  return  :  we  are  not  all  missionaries ;  it  is 
enough  to  save  ourselves  without  saving  our 
neighbors  too.  Our  own  salvation  is  the  first 
point;  we  cannot  attain  that  without  praying 
for  others,  and  prayers,  believe  me,  do  good. 
But  if  you  really  want  profitable  instruction, 
instead  of  idle  discussion,  study  Kempis  on 
nature  and  grace."  * 

Melville  shook  his  head  sadly. 

"  So  much  for  a  life  of  perpetual  contemplation 
and  prayer,"  continued  Agnes ;  "  it  is  surely  a 
holy  one ;  nor  do  I  see  why  I  cannot  embrace 
it  because  the  world  don't  choose  to  behave 
themselves.  If  I  felt  a  special  mission  to  reform 
them  it  would  be  otherwise.  But  have  you 
ever  heard  of  a  Sister  of  Charity?" 

Melville  smiled. 

"You  have  heard  of  their  prompt  fearlessness, 
•when  pestilence  scares  away  your  worldlings ; 
you  have  heard  of  their  numberless  acts  of  unre 
warded  benevolence;  but  you  never  suspected 


LOnETTO  ;    OR,    THE   CHOICE.  163 

that  these  virtues  which  attract  attention  and 
applause  are  insignificant  when  contrasted  with 
the  heroism  they  display  by  voluntary  perseve 
rance  in  obedience,  year  after  year,  until  a  sweet 
death  repays  them  at  last.  If  such  a  life  is  not 
useful  to  man,  pray  tell  me  what  is?  Most  of 
the  orders  in  our  church  are  what  you  would 
call  utilitarian.  Have  you  any  objection  to  my 
becoming  a  Sister  of  Charity?" 

"I  can  never  believe,"  replied  Melville,  "that 
heaven  exacts  such  a  sacrifice  from  any  of  us." 

"Heaven  always  exacts  a  sacrifice  —  the  sacri 
fice  of  the  body." 

"But  not  of  the  soul." 

"  Of  the  soul !"  said  Agnes,  clasping  her  hands. 
"  Do  I  sacrifice  rny  soul  when,  by  denying  it 
every  natural  gratification,  I  flood  it  with  the 
joys  of  grace?" 

"  Then  you  enter  a  convent  for  the  sake  of 
pleasure  ?  " 

"For  the  pleasure  of  living  for  God  and  doing 
his  holy  will.  You  have  changed  your  ground." 

"  Must  we  lose  youthen?"  pursued  Melville, 
forsaking  argument  for  entreaty.  "You  will 
make  me  hate  your  religion  !  " 

"  I  ought  to  make  you  love  it !  " 

"And,  for  your  sake,  I  hoped  and  still  hope  to 
love  it,"  said  Melville,  seizing  at  the  word. 


164  LORETTO;    OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

"Oh,  Agnes,"  he  continued  fervently,  "would  to 
heaven  I  had  known  your  determination  sooner, 
or  could  change  it  now  !  I  love  you  too  well  to 
lose  you  thus  !  From  the  moment " 

"  Stop,  sir !  Had  I  suspected  your  love  you 
should  have  known  it  sooner ;  but  I  never 
dreamed  of  it  until  our  horses  stopped  at  the 
brook  the  evening  we  found  the  stranger.  Since 
then  I  have  done  all  in  my  power  to  discour 
age  an  affection  so  sudden,  so  hopeless,  so  un 
just." 

"So  unjust?"  echoed  Melville,  half  petrified. 

" Ay,  so  unjust"  repeated  Agnes.  " Did  you 
not  once  love  Ellen  Almy?" 

Melville  hung  his  head. 

"Did  you  not  let  her  see  it?" 

He  was  silent. 

"Did  you  ever  declare  your  love?" 

"Never  !  "  cried  Melville,  grasping  at  a  ray  of 
hope.  "I  was  always  deterred  by  her  levity  and 
apparent  indifference." 

"  I  could  not  suppose  you  base  enough,"  re 
sumed  Agnes,  "  to  break  a  solemn  declaration,  to 
which  the  world  attaches  so  much  importance ;  it 
would  cost  you  your  standing  as  a  man  of  honor. 
But  tell  me,  Mr.  Melville,  when  eyes  and  actions 
have  attested  an  existing  love,  and  inspired  a 
return,  are  we  at  liberty  to  break  the  bond 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  165 

because  there  is  no  verbal  compact?  It  is  un 
manly  and  ungenerous,  to  say  the  least." 

"She  cannot  love  me!"  said  Melville,  stung 
to  the  quick;  "she  is  too  reckless,  too  giddy,  too 
fickle  to  love  any  one  longer  than  an  hour." 

"You  do  her  bitter  injustice,"  replied  Agnes, 
rising ;  "  she  is  a  woman  whose  love  would, 
enrich  a  throne !  A  light  manner  may  accom 
pany  a  strong,  true  heart,  just  as  exterior  dignity 
may  hide  a  weak  one.  And  you  know  it ;  you 
know  that  there  is  not  beneath  the  sun  a  bet 
ter,  a  purer,  lovelier,  loftier  nature  than  Ellen 
Almy's." 

"Is  your  resolution  unalterable ?"  said  Mel 
ville,  with  an  accent  of  despair. 

"  Unalterable !  "  and  wishing  him  good  even 
ing,  she  left  him  in  no  very  enviable  condition. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

AM  not  surprised  at  it,"  said  Mr.  Almy 
to  Lei,  during  their  walk,  dwelling 
upon  a  topic  he  had  forced  upon  her 
attention,  "I  am  not  surprised  at  it,  nor  do  I 
think  the  less  of  him.  On  the  contrary,  I  honor 
him  for  it.  True  love  of  what  is  really  lovely  is 


166  LOEETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

so  rare  that  in  any  shape,  almost,  it  is  highly 
commendable.  The  bulk  of  mortals  are  blind  to 
the  infinite  beauty  and  majesty  of  God  ;  so  the 
more  nearly  we  approach  him  the  more  AVC  are 
despised.  In  all  matches  where  interest  is  out  of 
question  chance  and  vanity  predominate ;  and 
from  the  wa.y  in  which  innocence  is  seen  to 
cleave  to  deprdvity,  I  am  inclined  to  think  there 
is  a  sneaking  fondness  for  the  devil  in  the  best 
of  us.  No,  no;  I  like  Melville  for  this,  it  is  a 
beautiful  trait." 

"  Do  you  think  she  will  accept  him  ? "  asked 
Lei. 

"Accept  him?"  said  her  father;  "she  cares 
no  more  for  him  than  I  do  for  the  glorious  Mrs. 
Hoity.  That  girl's  aim  is  above  this  world  ;  she 
cannot  live  for  man  without  renouncing  a  mani 
fest  vocation,  and  renouncing  that,  she  would 
never  be  able  to  make  a  husband  happy.  Some 
are  made  to  marry  and  some  are  not.  I  can't 
exactly  express  my  meaning,  but  there's  some 
thing  in  what  I've  said,  depend  upon  it." 

"I  think  she  would  be  happier  with  him 
than  in  a  convent,"  suggested  Lei,  fully  believ 
ing  it. 

"Xonsense!  they  \voiild  both  be  miserable. 
I'm  somewhere  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  hid 
den  truth,  but  can't  strike  it  fairly.  Agnes 


LOKETTO;   OR,    THE    CHOICE.  167 

married  !  —  Ha  ! "  and  he  laughed  —  "  It's  per 
fectly  ridiculous!  Why,  she  would  lose  her 
lustre  like  a  cloud  when  the  sun,  that  clothed 
it  in  gold  and  purple,  has  set.  Now  she  is  as 
much  your  superior  as  can  be;  though  if  any 
one  were  silly  enough  to  put  you  both  in  a 
book,  you  would  be  the  favorite  by  all  odds. 
Yet,  let  her  marry,  even  I  should  cease  to  love 
her,  unless  perhaps  I  were  obliged  to." 

"I  don't  understand  you  at  all,"  said  Lei, 
repeating  his  jumbled  harangue. 

"  I  don't  expect  to  be  understood,"  returned 
Mr.  Almy.  "  Oh,  it's  a  fine  trait  in  Melville  to 
love  her!  I  thought  the  fellow  an  irreclaim 
able  infidel,  but  I've  hopes  of  him  now ;  I  might 
even  consent  to  let  him  have  you." 

"Would  you  ever  have  refused  ?" 

"  Certainly,  and  most  decidedly,  unless  I  saw 
you  were  breaking  your  heart  about  it,  which  is 
too  unfashionable  for  you  to  be  guilty  of.  Why, 
the  man's  not  a  Christian." 

"  Are  you  ?  "  inquired  Lei,  with  mock  gravity. 

Mr.  Almy,  pressing  her  arm,  earnestly  replied, 
"  Your  mother  was !  " 

Lei  found  Agnes  in  her  room ;  the  meeting 
was  a  painful  one,  but  Agues  determined  to 
make  the  best  of  it. 


168  LOBETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

""What  do  you  think,  Lei?  Mr.  Melville  has 
been  trying  to  persuade  me  not  to  enter  the 
convent." 

"  Did  he  succeed  ?  " 

11  Not  quite.  After  a  long  argument  he  told 
me  that  lie  loved  me. " 

"  Was  not  that  convincing  ?  "  said  Lei,  avoid 
ing  her  cousin's  gaze. 

"  So  far  from  it,"  replied  Agnes,  "  that  I  fear 
I  treated  him  rudely." 

"  I  hope  not ;  indeed  he  does  not  deserve  it. 
He  would  make  you  happy." 

"  No,  my  dearest  Lei,"  said  Agnes,  embracing 
her,  "he  would  make  you  happy,  not  me." 

They  had  never  before  alluded  to  the  subject, 
but  they  understood  each  other  as  well  as  if  they 
had  spoken  volumes. 

Lei's  eyes,  already  full,  ran  over  —  Agnes  had 
divined  her  secret  —  it  was  of  no  avail  to  conceal 
her  grief.  We  must  let  those  sacred  moments 
pass  in  silence. 

"But,  when  you  leave  me,  Agnes?  Tell  me 
you  will  not  leave  me  —  I  cannot  live  without 
you ! " 

"  Can  you  not  return  to  Loretto  with  me  ?  " 

"  No,  no,"  said  Lei ;  "  I  shall  not  leave  my 
father  again." 

"  You  once  asked  me  to  explain  your  father's 


LOEETTO  J    OE,    THE    CHOICE.  169 

face,"  returned  Agnes,  anxious  to  divert  her 
mind  ;  "  I  think  I  can  satisfy  you  now.  People 
are  apt  to  acquire  that  worst  of  all  curses,  a  false 
conscience.  When  we  get  this  it  answers  all 
the  purposes  of  innocence,  and  makes  us  attract 
ive;  but  when,  though  sinning  on,  we  preserve 
a  true  conscience,  self-condemnation  makes  us 
repulsive;  wanting  confidence  in  ourselves  we 
cannot  obtain  it  from  others.  All  your  father 
needs  to  render  him  benevolent-looking  is  a  false 
conscience." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  Lel^  interested  in  anything 
relating  to  her  father,  "  You  are  right.  Mig- 
non  dies  and  Felix  stays  with  us  —  now,  I  un 
derstand  "VVilh elm  Meister.  Have  you  read  it? 
Oh,  Agnes,  don't  be  a,  nun  !  You  have  mind 
enough  for  anything.  If  you'll  only  marry  Mel 
ville,  so  that  I  may  have  you  near  m?,  that  I 
may  run  in  and  see  you  when  I  please,  plague 
you,  play  for  you,  sing  for  you,  I  shall  be  happy. 
I'll  love  some  one  else,  and  marry  just  to  keep 
you  from  being  jealous,  and  then  "  —  but  her  eyes 
again  ran  over  as  she  spoke.  "Won't  you  stay 
with  me  a  week  longer?"  she  resumed. 

"  Make  up  your  mind  to  return  with  me," 
replied  Agnes. 

"No,  no,  I'll  stay  here;  I  shall  have  enough 
to  laugh  at  in  Mrs.  Hoity,  enough  to  work  at  in 


170  LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

Listz,  enough  to  idle  at  in  ne\v  poems,  and 
enough  to  sleep  at  in  the  congressional  de 
bates.  I  understand  m v  father  now  —  blessings 

ml  O 

on  your  insight!  —  and  come  what  may,  I  care 
not.  Must  I  change  my  nature  because  another 
has  changed  his  mind ;  must  I  imitate  his  fickle 
ness  by  playing  false  to  myself  ?  Never  while 
my  name's  Lei !  " 

Words,  words,  words  !  — the  eagle  soars  with 
the  arrow  in  its  side  —  the  shaft  must  be  in 
awhile  before  the  wing  closes. 

Now  for  Melville.  If  we  follow  him  to  his 
rooms  we  shall  find  him  surrounded  by  com 
fort  and  elegance.  His  mantelpiece  is  adorned 
with  choice  castings  brought  from  abroad,  the 
walls  are  gemmed  Avitli  rare  paintings  and  en 
gravings,  selected  with  judgment  and  taste. 
But  there  he  sits  dejectedly  before  his  grate  ;  he 
tried  to  read  —  absurd;  lie  tried  to  write  —  im 
possible  ;  he  tried  to  caress  a  noble  Newfound 
land  dog,  who  appeared  to  have  some  sympathy 
for  his  master  —  contemptible.  In  the  blank 
despair  of  the  first  shock  he  felt  like  poor  Glos- 
ter,  as  if  another  Regan  had  plucked  his  eyes 
out,  as  if  curse  of  love  had  doomed  him  to 
wander,  like  Yathek,  with  his  hand  forever  upon 
his  heart. 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  171 

Too  well  remembering  her  manner,  it  seemed 
to  him  cold,  disdainful,  masculine;  —  and  flatter 
ing  himself  that  he  had  been  wasting  his  sun 
light  on  an  obstinate  icicle,  he  suffered  from  that 
worst  arrow 'in  Cupid's  quiver  —  devotion  to  an 
unworthy  object.  But,  before  midnight,  his 
senses  partially  returned.  Had  he  not  been 
unjust  to  Lei, — had  he  not  thus  merited  the 
rebuke  so  unmercifully  administered  by  Agnes 
—  had  she  not  evinced  her  superiority  of  mind 
and  feeling  by  detecting  and  reproving  his  in 
constancy  ?  But  there  was  the  rub !  Might  not 
the  knowledge  of  this  —  might  not  the  suspicion 
of  a  lingering  affection  for  Lei  prevent  her  love  ? 
Alas !  what  excuse  will  not  the  human  heart 
invent  to  shield  itself  from  admitting  that  its 
want  of  success  is  its  own  fault!  The  wind 
ings,  turnings,  twistings  of  disappointed  love 
are  too  pitifully  comic  for  analysis.  A  w.oman, 
in  this  condition,  invites  a  tear;  a  man,  a 
laugh. 

Melville  was  not  imaginative;  his  affections 
were  always  guided  by  his  reason ;  yet  Shak- 
speare  himself  could  not  have  suffered  more 
then  he  did  then.  A  warm  fancy  is  often  mis 
taken  for  a  warm  heart,  because  it  has  all  the 
language  of  sorrow  when  feeling  is  dumb. 

We  shall  try  not  to  laugh  at  him,  since  he 


172  LORETTO;   OK,   THE   CHOICE. 

grew  humbler  towards  morning.  How  could 
she'love  me,  lie  said,  —  what  have  I  to  attract 
her  besides  Avealth,  that  gilded  bait  which  a 
noble  nature  scorns  ?  I  have  no  accomplish 
ments,  no  social  qualities,  no  beauty,  no  grace 
—  I  never  have  been  loved  —  never  will  be  — 
never  will  attempt  to  be  again!  If  anybody 
wants  me  they  must  court  me,  propose,  run  off 
with  me,  and  marry  me ;  otherwise,  I  and  my 
dog  forever !  And  he  said  all  this  as  seriously 
as  could  be,  with  a  burning,  beating  forehead 
and  a  cold  hand. 

Poor  Melville?  in  enumerating  his  deficien- 
cicncies  he  omitted,  "I  have  no  religion;"  he 
did  not  consider  the  absence  of  this  a  blemish  ; 
and  how  few  do  in  all  the  written  and  unwrit 
ten  tragedy  and  comedy  of  human  love. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

ELTILLE  felt  like  an  orphan — worse 
than  an  orphan.  Sensitive  creature, 
he  had  not  the  courage  to  present  him 
self  at  Mr.  Almy's  —  his  temerity  and  fickleness 
had  deprived  him  of  the  society  of  that  delight 
ful  house,  his  only  home.  To  relieve  his  spir 
itual  desolation  he  was  tempted  to  seek  forget- 


LOEETTO;   OK,    THE   CHOICE.  173 

fulness  in  the  sparkling  Lethe  of  dissipation. 
But  Gabriel,  the  ever-present  and  all-seeing 
Gabriel,  failed  not  to  visit  him  in  these  moments 
of  despondency,  and  whisper  words  of  strength 
and  consolation.  This  meek,  benevolent  being 
was  the  only  link  between  him  and  the  charm 
ing  family  from  which  lie  was  forever  exiled. 
Some  words  that  fell  from  the  Wanderer  kept 
perpetually  recurring  to  him  —  "Do  you  love  your 
sister  Agnes  ?  then  never  let  her  marry"  What 
could  the  man  mean  ?  Did  lie  mean  anything  ? 
When  tired  with  vain  attempts  to  solve  this 
difficult  problem  he  was  naturally  led  to  corn- 
template  Lei,  the  briyJtt  yonny  creature  who  was 
made  for  the  world"  and  his  meditations  gen 
erally  terminated  with  this  remarkable  wish, — 

"  Oh,  if  Lei  had  only  a  little  more  of  Agnes  in 
her!" 

One  morning,  as  he  was  trying  hard  to  read  a 
newspaper,  Mr.  Almy  presented  himself,  and, 
slapping  him  on  the  shoulder  as  cordially  as  ever, 
said :  — 

"Melville,  what  in  the  deuce  do  you  mean  by 
treating  me  in  this  way  ?  We  are  to  have  some 
music  to-night,  the  German  will  be  there,  and  if 
you  don't  come  beware  of  me  in  future." 

Melville,  greatly  relieved,  thanked  him,  prom 
ising  punctual  attendance,  and  the  generous  mer 
chant  departed. 


174  LORETTO  ;    OK,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  What  a  happy  man  !"  sighed  Melville;  "he 
does  not  seem  to  have  a  care  on  his  mind." 

At  that  moment  there  were  cares  enough  on 
Mr.  Almy's  mind  to  break  clown  three  Melvilles, 
unschooled  in  affliction. 

"Yes,  I  will  go!"  mused  Melville,  in  sup 
pressed  heroics  ;  "I  will  go,  if  only  to  show  that 
I  am  calm ;  I  will  have  no  eyes  to  count  the 
spasms  of  my  mouth,  or  note  the  changes  of  my 
cheek,  and  least  of  all  shall  Agnes  behold  the 
ruin  she  has  made !  "  So  saying,  he  finished  his 
breakfast  with  something  of  an  appetite. 

"Do  you  mean  to  have  a  ball  to-night?"  in 
quired  Agnes  of  Lei,  as  they  were  sitting  to 
gether.  "  Tell  me  frankly,  for  if  you  do,  I  shall 
not  be  present." 

"  A  ball !  Nonsense,"  replied  Lei ;  "  it  will  be 
nothing  more  than  one  of  our  old  Thursday 
evenings,  with  a  supper.  Father  made  me  put 
tmusicale'>  in  every  invitation,  that  the  ladies 
might  dress  decently  on  your  account." 

A  waiter  interrupted  them  with  letters  from 
the  Colonel.  They  were  models  of. brevity,  if 
nothing  else :  — 

"  DEAR  AGXES, — All  well,  including  Charlie. 
We  don't  miss  you  more  than  we  did  when  you 
were  at  the  convent.  Respects  to  Aliny.  Ever 
yours,  etc." 


LORETTO  ;   OR,    THE    CHOICE.  175 

"  DEAR  LEL,  —  How  goes  the  game  ?  Are  not 
your  knights  an  overmatch  for  her  bishops?" 

The  cousins  looked  up  at  each  other  and 
smiled,  without  exchanging  letters  or  making  any 
comments  on  their  contents. 

"  Do  vou  think  Melville  will  come  ?  "  resumed 
Lei. 

"Of  course  he  will,"  replied  the  other. 

"Now,  mark  me,  Agnes;  if  I  betray  what  I 
feel  by  the  slightest  symptom  I  promise  to  enter 
the  convent  with  you.  The  storm  in  my  heart, 
the  thunder  on  my  brow,  the  lightning  in  my 
eye,  the  rain  on  my  cheeks,  the  gale  on  my  lips, 
shall  all  be  covered  by  a  cloudless  sky  and  sun 
shine  without  a  shadow ;  and  if  you  never  saw  a 
woman  who  looked  as  though  she  knew  not  grief, 
nor  ever  could  know  it,  you  shall  see  her  counter 
feit  this  evening  in  me  !  " 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

HE  parlors  are  lighted,  the  lamps  are 
glowing.  Lei  is  in  pink,  Agnes  in 
white,  Mr.  Almy  in  black.  The  guests 
are  coming,  the  rustling  of  satin  an,d  silk  begins, 
the  rooms  are  filling.  Close  by  the  open  piano, 


170  LORETTO  J    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

toying  with  his  violoncello,  known  but  unnoticed, 
sat  a  middle-aged  man,  with  true  German  impen 
etrability.  Hard-featured,  thick-set,  apathetic, 
he  looked  like  anything  but  a  genius.  Yet,  to 
Agnes,  Mr.  Almy  excepted,  he  was  the  most  in 
teresting  person  in  the  room. 

"  Shall  we  commence  ?  "  said  Lei  to  the  musi 
cians,  as  she  took  her  seat.  A  moment's  pause, 
and  away  they  went  at  the  first  movement  of 
Mendelssohn's  first  trio.  Rapid  and  subtle  as 
light,  the  earnest  melody  leaps  from  instrument  to 
instrument,  while  unflagging  and  unceasing  the 
motherly  piano  underlies,  connects,  and  blends 
the  whole.  But^wlien  they  reached  the  Adagio 
a  light  overspread  the  German's  broad  face,  his 
soul  shone  through  its  unworthy  casing,  the 
living  notes  seemed  to  ooze,  like  Bob  Acre's 
courage,  through  his  fingers'  ends,  his  hand  was 
endowed  with  tones  more  eloquent  than  speech. 
Who  that  saw  him  then  anticipated  such  a  close 
to  so  much  genius  —  so  sudden,  so  piteous,  so 
terrible !  Like  many  before  him  of  equal  gifts, 
he  has  gone  ignobly  and  unrewarded  to  the 
grave  —  his  life  wasted,  his  hopes  blasted,  his 
soul  neglected.  Like  many  who  Avill  follow  him, 
he  has  withered  like  an  uprooted  flower  in  the 
hand  that  only  prized  it  a  moment,  and  cast  it 
off  as  soon  as  it  began  to  droop.  How  few  that 


LOEETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  177 

loved  to  hear  him  strove  to  help  him!  'Twas 
his  own  fault  —  sleep  soundly,  sweet  world,  sleep 
soundly ! 

Yet  never  to  be  forgotten  by  some,  arc  those 
rare  moments  that  come,  like  wind  from  another 
clime,  laden  with  choicer  perfumes  than  ours! 
They  Avill  sometimes  think  of  the  master  who 
sleeps  far  away  from  his  fatherland,  and  some 
times  pray  for  him.  No  stone  marks  his  grave, 
not  a  tear  was  shed  for  him  !  It  is  singular  that 
those  who  neglected  him  in  life  do  not  honor 
him  in  ashes ;  for  if  he  did  not  live  like  a  genius 
surely  he  died  like  one. 

.Again  the  spell  of  music  was  laid  on  Melville. 
He  could  not  remove  his  eyes  from  Lei,  who  ap 
peared  to  float  with  the  magic  sounds,  as  if  she 
were  the  muse  who  had  first  inspired  the  beauty 
she  was  reproducing.  Who  can  say  what  passed 
in  his  heart,  what  years  were  revived  and  re-en 
joyed  in  those  delightful  and  all-powerful  min 
utes?  Was  there  not  a  little  more  of  A gnes  in 
her  than  he  had  lately  imagined?  During  the 
playful  Scherzo  a  childlike  smile  hovered  around 
her  mouth,  and  during  the  fairy-like  finale  her 
eyes  swam  in  dreamy  lustre. 

It  was  over;  the  rooms  were  full.  Mr.  Almy's 
friends  are  there  —  sober-looking  men,  with  the 
weight  of  the  world  on  their  shoulders  ;  their 


178  LORETTO  ;    OK,    THE    CHOICE. 

faces  screwed  up  by  habit,  rather  than  marked 
by  thought,  with  calculation  lurking  in  the  spot 
less  folds  of  their  white  cravats.  Lei's  friends 
are  there  ;  fair  young  girls  absorbed  in  their  first 
impressions,  whose  brains  seem  to  have  been 
consumed  in  nourishing  their  cultivated  hair ; 
others,  a  little  older,  who  rejoice  in  candle-light 
as  a  blessed  invention  to  contradict  the  lies  which 
the  garish  sun  might  tell  of  them  :  others  decid- 

O  ~  7 

edly  old,  yet  firmly  persuaded  that  dignity  is 
superior  to  grace,  amongst  whom  — let  her  not  be 
forgotten — towered  the  immortal  Mrs.  Hoity. 

"  If  these  people,"  thought  Agnes,  "  come  here 
for  music's  sake  I  am  much  mistaken." 

She  was  not  mistaken.  During  the  first  piece 
they  had  given  signs  of  enjoyment,  if  not  of  ap 
preciation  ;  but  their  patience  gave  out  in  the 
second  Trio,  which  was  too  elaborate  to  afford 
them  even  a  pretext  for  a  smile.  They  could 
have  danced  for  joy  when  it  died  off  like  a  shabby 
friend  or  a  poor  lover.  But  did  they  dance  ? 

Music  of  another  kind  was  heard  —  mus'ic  from 
bells,  and  clarionets,  and  flutes,  and  fiddles. 
How  infinitely  inferior !  how  much  more  grateful ! 

Like  veterans  answering  the  trumpeter,  they 
fell  into  order ;  two  quadrilles  were  instantane 
ously  formed.  Agnes,  professing  her  inability 
to  dance,  retreats  behind  Mr.  Aliny,  and  enters 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  179 

into  conversation  with  the  German.  Lei  kept 
her  promise  well.  Light  and  graceful  as  a  fawn, 
she  glided  through  every  figure  ;  her  face  beam 
ing,  her  eye  sparkling,  her  arms  waving.  The 
life  and  'soul  of  the  room,  her  clear  laugh  rang 

/  O  O 

like  morning  music  on  the  hill-tops,  when  shep 
herds  and  shepherdesses  arc  greeting  the  rising 
sun.  Not  once  did  she  falter ;  not  once  did  she 
droop  ;  not  once  did  she  betray,  by  over-acting, 
that  beneath  all  this  there  was  a  silent  sorrow. 

But  Melville,  poor  Melville,  was  not  so  suc 
cessful.  He  could  have  stood  anything  but  Lei's 
merriment  and  indifference,  but  that  broke  him 
down.  "  I  knew  she  never  loved  me,"  he  mut 
tered,  "but  now  she  despises  me!"  Dark  as 
death,  he  moved  over  to  the  German,  and  through 
him  renewed  his  acquaintance  with  Agnes.  But 
Agnes  was  icy  cold  and  slid  off  with  Mr.  Almy. 
A  desperate  purpose  crossed  him,  to  break  ab 
ruptly  from  the  company — but  this  was  too  much 
like  Sylvius,  and  he  was  too  much  of  a  gentleman. 
Then  he  resolved  to  devote  himself  to  the  pret 
tiest  and  richest  girl  in  the  room;  but  his  heart 
failed  him.  He  couldn't  talk  ;  he  could  only  look 
at  Lei,  lamenting  that  she  was  just  as  fickle  as 
himself. 

All  is  bright,  all  is  beautiful,  all  is"  joy,  all  is 
gladness !  It  is  so  dreamlike,  so  enchanting,  so 


180  LORETTO;    OB,    THE    CHOICE. 

alluring,  so  ensnaring!  The  world  is  doing  its 
best;  all  its  ornaments  are  on;  all  its  rags  are 
off!  Eyes  are  glancing;  cheeks  are  glowing; 
whispers  flowing!  The  walls  shut  out  earth; 
the  ceiling  shuts  out  heaven  ! 

Agnes,  Agnes,  beware !  A  fatal  stream  is 
rushing  by  thee ;  its  banks  are  blooming,  its 
waters  sweet!  Beware!  beware!  Thy  feet  are 
in  it;  it  will  sweep  thee  out  to  a  stormy  sea! 
May  not  the  ermine  perish  in  the  snow?  May 
not  the  camel  falter  in  the  desert  ? 

For  a  time  she  remained  alone  with  Mr.  Almy. 
It  took  them  hours  to  see  her  beauty,  but  they 
gathered  round  her  at  last,  and  she  stood  the 
centre  of  a  brilliant  circle.  Excited  by  conver 
sation,  her  dark  eye  flashes,  the  rose  mantles 
proudly  in  her  cheek.  Introduction  follows  in 
troduction,  compliment  follows  compliment.  Her 
praises  are  sounding  through  the  room,'  in  those 
terrible  whispers  which  are  meant  to  be  heard. 
She  is  dealing  with  men  and  women  of  wit  and 
information  ;  boys  and  girls  are  listening  in  re 
spectful  silence.  Then,  'all  she  had  read  and 
thought  came  thrilling  to  her  tongue,  and  gushed 
forth  like  the  first  waters  from  a  long  sealed 
fountain. 

Lei  trembled ;  she  scarcely  recognized  the 
timid  lily  of  Loretto  in  the  splendid  woman  be- 


LORETTO;   OK,    THE    CHOICE.  181 

fore  her.  Where  was  Agnes?  Was  she  dead; 
was  the  chrysalis  soaring  on  these  golden  wings? 
Was  she  exchanging  her  immortal  pinions  for 
these  fleeting  feathers  of  an  hour? 

Who  could  have  guessed  that  all  this  was 
sleeping  in  Agnes,  till  the  breath  of  admiration 
should  awake  it  ?  Had  she  not  known  it  ?  Had 
she  not  feared  it?  Yes!  yes!  But  was  she 
not  enjoying  it?  Docs  not  the  eaglet  exult 
when,  trusting  to  its  untried  wing,  it  finds  the 
air  its  own  ? 

"I  knew  it  was  in  her,"  said  Mr.  Alrny  to  him 
self;  "I  knew  there  Avas  burning  gold  impris 
oned  within  that  cold  marble." 

The  music  is  sounding;  Mr.  Almy,  offering 
his  arm  to  Agnes,  leads  the  way  to  the  suppcr- 
roorn. 

All  is  bright,  all  is  beautiful,  all  is  joyous ! 
The  table  is  as  luscious  as  a  Moslem's  paradise ! 

There  are  ices  to  cool  the  mouth  arid  wines  to 
fire  the  brain !  Away  with  the  past !  Away 
with  to-morrow !  The  blessings  of  a  lifetime  are 
crowded  in  to-night.  Oh!  how  dream-like ;  oh! 
how  dove-like  ;  oh  !  how  winning  ! 

Agnes  is  still  in  the  ascendant ;  she  wields  the 
sceptre  of  empire,  as  if  she  Avere  born  to  it. 
Emulous  youths  are  striving  for  her  smiles  and 
treasuring  her  words ;  transported  merchants  are 


182  LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

unbending  !  in  the  buzz  of  admiration  even  jeal 
ousy  is  mute. 

"  Oli,"  thought  Lei,  "could  the  Colonel  sec.  her 
now,  how  his  old  heart  would  leap  for  joy  !  Here 
is  the  woman  of  the  tcorld  lie  wishes." 

Mothers  arc  asking  her  expectations,  daugh 
ters  her  age.  Sons  arc  speculating  on  the  state 
of  her  affections.  Again  the  foaming  wine  kisses 
the  rirrr  of  her  glass,  again  she  raises  it !  The 
flashing  eye,  the  arched  lip,  the  quivering  nostril, 
the  haughty  brow,  were  all  there  ! 

"Look,"  whispered  Melville  to  Lei,  "behold 
the  Wanderer !  " 

The  likeness  was  painful;  but  as  they  looked 
it  vanished. 

The  glass  almost  fell  from  her  hand.  Alone 
in  a  corner  stands  Gabriel,  unnoticed  until  then. 
!N"o  longer  smiling,  his  brow  is  sternly  knit, 
though  from  his  steady  eye,  which  pierced  her 
very  soul,  tears  of  anguish  were  falling  fast. 
Brushing  his  tears  away,  he  quietly  approached 
Mr.  Almy  and  drew  him  into  the  passage. 

What  has  happened  to  Agnes?  The  queen  of 
the  room  is  mute  and  sad.  As  the  thunderbolt 
shivers  a  blossoming  tree,  Gabriel's  look  had 
struck  her  to  the  ground.  All  she  wanted  from 
earth  was  a  place  to  lie  down  and  weep,  alone, 
the  rest  of  her  life.  But  they  are  crowding  her 


LORETTO  J   OR,    THE    CHOICE.  183 

still,  with  a  thousand  questions,  a  thousand  so 
licitations,  a  thousand  persecutions.  Where  was 
the  light  that  dazzled  her  ?  It  is  but  a  dismal 
flame  that  blisters !  Where  was  the  music  that 
enchanted  her?  It  is  but  sharp  discord  that 
offends. 

And  now  from  the  supper-room  troop  the 
gentlemen,  in  wine  refulgent.  The  scene  is 
changing  fast  from  mirth  to  madness,  from  folly 
to  revelry,  from  a  parlor  to  a  bar-room. 

Sickened,  shamed,  and  dispirited,  Agnes  rose 
to  retire,  but  met  Mr.  Almy.  White  as  her 
dress,  he  grasped  her  arm, — 

"  You  are  not  going,  Agnes  ?  " 

O  O'  O 

«  Yes." 

"  Stay,  for  God's  sake  !  "  and  he  mingled  with 
the  crowd.  She  watched  him  anxiously.  His 
laugh  still  rang,  but  it  was  forced  and  hollow; 
his  jests  were  wild  and  bitter,  and  when  he 
pledged  his  fellow  merchants,  he  drank  so  deeply 
and  stared  so  strangely  that  they  knew  not  what 
to  make  of  him. 

Lei,  whose  heart  was  in  her  mouth,  ventured 
to  ask  him  what  the  matter  was,  for  in  spite  of 
his  utmost  efforts  to  conceal  his  agitation  it  was 
too  apparent. 

"  Xothing,  nothing !  "  was  his  only  answer,  as 
he  flitted  like  a  spectre  from  group  to  group, 


184  LOKETTO  J   OE,    THE   CHOICE. 

bidding  them  to  enjoy  themselves,  in  tones  inspir 
ing  anything  but  happiness. 

The  company  have  gone,  the  last  lingering 
drunkard  has  staggered  off.  Mr.  Almy  is  lying 
on  the  sofa,  Lei  and  Agnes  are  kneeling  beside 

*  o  o 

him. 

"  Speak !  speak !  I  can  endure  the  worst !  " 
cried  Lei,  raising  him  in  her  arms. 

"  So  can  I !  "  said  Mr.  Almy,  starting  up  and 
pacing  the  room.  "  So  can  I  endure  the  worst ! " 

He  stood  still  and  clutched  the  back  of  a  chair 
convulsively,  the  veins  swelled  in  his  temples,  a 
groan  burst  from  his  lips,  his  head  fell  on  his 
breast. 

"Father!"  screamed  Lei,  "in  God's  name, 
speak,  or  I  shall  die ! " 

He  seemed  not  to  hear  her ;  she  repeated  it 
again  and  again.  He  placed  his  hands  on  her 
shoulder,  he  threw  back  her  hair  from  her  face, 
lie  fixed  his  eyes  on  hers.  There  they  remained 
gazing  at  each  other,  the  one  in  terror,  the  other 
in  vacant  anguish.  At  last  his  tears  rained  down 
upon  her  uplifted  face,  and  falling  on  her  neck, 
he  cried,  — 

"  My  daughter,  I  am  a  ruined  merchant  /  I 
must  fail  to-morrow  !  " 


LORETTO  J   OR,    THE   CHOICE.  185 


CHAPTER  XX. 

BRIGHT  rose  the  sun  of  the  morrow. 
The  sun  that  so  often  sympathizes  with 
us  showed  no  concern  then.  Ahny  lias 
failed,  was  in  every  mouth.  Impossible,  said 
some  ;  'strange,  said  others  ;  very  likely,  said  the 
wise  ones,  shrugging  their  shoulders  with  a  know- 

7  O~  O 

in"1  look.     Oh  !  when  a  house  is  falling  ho\v  the 

~  <J 

world  scampers  off.  "Away!  away!  Beware 
of  the  ruins ! "  Stand  off,  ye  coward  herd,  the 
tiles  are  coming  down,  remember  Pyrrhus! 
Yet  there  are  a  few,  be  it  said  for*  the  honor  of 
human  nature,  who  step  forward  to  solace  with 
affection,  if  not  to  prop  with  courage.  There 
are  some  who  rejoice  in  having  an  opportunity 
to  prove  their  magnanimity.  They  come  with 
sweet  words  and  bland  manners,  to  fling  some 
verdure  around  the  ruins,  and  pardon  the  proud 
ingratitude  which  a  reverse  of  fortune  so  often 
produces. 

Melville  could  not  believe  it.  Yet  he  had  no 
ticed  Mr.  Almy's  manner,  his  counterfeit  gayety, 
his  pallor,  his  unnatural  laugh.  Could  it  be  ?  He 
fle\v  to  learn  the  truth  from  the  lips  of  his  friend. 

Mr.  Almy  was  in  bed  breathing  heavily,  his 
pulse  bounding  like  a  lute-string.  The  report 


186  LORETTO  ;    OE,    THE    CHOICE. 

was  true,  for  Lei  and  Agnes  were  in  tears.  The 
royal  merchant  held  out  his  hand  to  Melville, 
who  pressed  it  fervently.  Xot  a  word  was  said, 
until  Melville  whispered, — 

"  Why  did  you  not  tell  me  last  night?" 

"  It  was  useless,"  and  the  merchant  shook  his 
head.  "The  crash  in  England  has  done  it.  A 
hundred  thousand  will  not  cover  me!  " 

"  Oh  that  you  had  told  me  last  night ! "  re 
peated  Melville,  burying  his  face  in  his  hands. 

A  generous  purpose  leaps  forth  like  a  meteor 
from  the  sky.  Melville  rose  from  his  seat  and 
silently  pressed  Lei's  hand  in  his.  Moments, 
moments,  how'  ye  govern  years !  He  gazed  awhile 
on  her  pale,  tearful  face,  then  hurried  from  the 
room. 

He  hastened  to  the  counting-house  ;  the  clerks 
were  in  consternation ;  heavy  payments  to  be 
met  that  morning,  and  the  master  of  the  house 
in  bed.  Melville  seated  himself  at  the  desk;  it 
was  like  a  rush  on  a  bank,  but  he  met  it.  He 
entered  the  store  a  rich  man  and  left  it  penniless. 
But  no  one  else  had  lost  a  cent ;  and,  as  he 
retraced  his  steps,  he  felt  that  he  had  a  right  to 
look  Lei  once  more  in  the  face,  and  he  would 
not  have  taken  millions  for  the  feeling. 

Imagine  Mr.  Almy's  surprise  when  his  head 
clerk  appeared  with  a  balance-sheet,  showing  a 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  187 

trifle  over  all  his  liabilities.  But  alas  !  his  notes 
had  been  protested ;  his  credit,  that  aegis  of 
mercantile  honor,  was  gone ;  his  house  was 
tainted. 

"  Go  on  with  the  house,"  he  muttered.  What 
would  lie  not  have  given  to  rise  and  take  the 
helm.  But  his  head  was  fastened  to  his  pillow 
as  with  an  iron  bolt.  He  grew  worse  and  worse. 
He  must  wrestle  for  his  life  with  a  malignant 
fever. 

Where  was  my  lady  Hoity  then  ?  Pained, 
beyond  a  doubt,  but  pained  for  herself,  not  for 
him.  She  kept  at  a  prudent  distance,  lament 
ing  the  fate  which  had  deprived  her  of  a  certain 
prize ;  for,  good  woman,  she  fancied  herself 
irresistible.  Happily,  her  nature  was  of  the 
most  elastic  constitution ;  she  soon  recovered 
from  her  misplaced  attachment,  and  actually 
wondered  how  she  could,  in  the  name  of  com 
mon  sense,  have  cared  one  fig  for  a  merchant 
on  the  verge  of  bankruptcy.  He  was  no  beauty, 
certainly ;  he  was  addicted  to  gin  and  water, 
too  ;  his  conversation  was  rather  coarse,  and  his 
manners  decidedly  inelegant.  She  could  not 
account  for  it;  all  his  imperfections  were  so 
glaring.  It  must  have  been  one  of  those  myste 
rious  infatuations,  produced  by  Lapland  witches, 
or  some  other  horrible  cause.  She  determined 


188  LORETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

to  frown  clown  a  family  which  had  always  held 
a  questionable  position,  and  which  was  now  con 
signed  to  merited  obscurity.  AVise  Mrs.  Hoity. 
Amidst  all  the  sickness,  loss,  and  desolation 
Gabriel  moved  about  merrily.  He  had  never 
been  so  happy;  there  was  almost  a  glow  on  his 
white  face,  and  his  large  eyes  were  radiant  with 

joy- 
Lei  never  left  her  father's  bedside  ;  neither 
remonstrance  nor  entreaty  could  entice  her 
away.  There,  through  the  long,  long  nights  of 
delirium,  she  knelt,  calm  and  tearless,  watching 
every  motion,  noting  every  wild  word  muttered 
by  the  invalid.  The  most  practised  nurse  could 
not  have  attended  him  so  tranquilly,  so  firmly, 
so  judiciously.  And  when  the  crisis  came, 
when  the  sick'  soul  fluttered  between  life  and 
death,  when  an  hour  might  make  her  an  orphan, 
her  hand  was  steady  as  she  bound  the  ice  to  his 
forehead  and  wiped  the  water  from  his  face. 

"Leave  me,  Agnes,"  she  would  say,  "I  can 
do  without  you."  But  Agnes,  equally  inflexible, 
kept  her  post.  Many  and  bitter  were  her  tears 
—  bitterer  as  she  thought  of  the  dancing  and 
music  which  ushered  in  the  blow  —  the  asp 
in  Cleopatra's  basket.  She  looked  back  upon 
her  former  self-confidence  as  wicked  presump 
tion  ;  the  han:l  of  God  had  opened  her  eyes  to 


LOKETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  189 

her  -weakness,  and  in  humility  and  sorrow, 
deeper  than  she  had  ever  known,  she  threw 
herself  in  spirit  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  putting 
all  her  trust  in  Him  who  died  there. 

There  was  something  of  more  than  mortal 
splendor  in  Gabriel's  sweet  smile  as  he  moved 
about  from  Agnes  to  Lei,  from  Lei  to  her  father. 

The  physician  was  standing  doubtfully  over 
the  fallen  merchant,  his  finger  on  the  thrilling 
pulse,  his  eye  on  his  watch. 

"  Is  there  danger  ?  "  asked  Lcl,  firmly.  "  Tell 
me  the  truth."  The  man  hesitated. 

"As  you  value  a  human  soul,  tell  me  the 
truth,"  she  repeated,  in  a  voice  stern  with 
emotion. 

"There  is,"  was  the  faint  reply.  "But  the 
case  is  far  from  being  desperate.'* 

"  Agnes,"  continued  Lei,  as  firmly  as  before, 
though  a  tremor  passed  over  her,  "  send  for 
whom  you  wish." 

At  a  sign  from  Agnes  Gabriel  dai-ted  like  an 
arrow  through  the  door,  followed  by  the  physi 
cian.  Agnes  fell  on  her  knees,  praying  that,  at 
least  an  interval  of  consciousness  might  be 
granted.  The  priest  was  not  long  in  answering 
the  sick  call. 

"He  is  delirious,"  he  said;  "we  must  wait 
awhile ;  there  is  no  immediate  danger.  You 


190  LOKETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE. 

should  have  sent  for  me  sooner ;  death  is  a 
pretty  serious  matter." 

Lei  reproached  herself  for  not  having  yielded 
to  Agnes  in  the  beginning;  she  thought  it  might 
irritate  and  terrify  her  father.  Now,  her  only 
hope  was  in  that  diminutive  old  man,  with  short 
gray  hair  and  small  gray  eyes.  Oh,  for  a  mo 
ment's  reason  ! 

"  Pray  for  him  !  Pray  for  him  !  "  said  Lei  to 
the  priest,  seizing  his  hand.  They  all  knelt 
together. 

Had  their  united  prayer  been  heard  ?  Was 
there  not  a  change  for  the  better?  Had  the 
body  triumphed  by  its  own  force  ? 

Two  days  went  by  —  two  days  of  uncertainty 
and  anguish.  Lei  left  him  not  a  moment. 
Firm,  collected,  unrepining,  she  seemed  en 
dowed  with  supernatural  strength.  But  when 
her  father  once  more  recognized  her,  when  he 
called  her  by  name,  when  he  answered  her  kiss, 
when  he  placed  his  shrunken  fingers  on  her  head 
and  blessed  her,  when  the  physician  pronounced 
him  out  of  danger,  then,  indeed,  she  gave  way, 
fainting  in  her  cousin's  arms;  then  the  over 
tasked  body  drooped  and  languished,  then  her 
subdued  spirit  quailed,  then  came  forth  the  tor 
rent  of  tears  from  her  bursting  heart. 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  191 

It  was  a  Sunday  morning.  Agnes  was  at 
mass.  Melville  found  the  merchant  asleep. 
Lei,  too,  had  fallen  asleep  on  the  lounge  at  the 
foot  of  the  bed.  Then  could  be  seen  the  rav 
ages  which  grief  and  watching  had  made.  Her 
golden  hair  no  longer  met  a  bloom  equal  to  its 
own  on  her  cheek;  her  eyes  were  hollow,  her 
lips  almost  bloodless.  But  amid  the  wreck  was 
a  loveliness  infinitely  more  touching  than  the 
glow  of  health  and  vigor  —  the  loveliness  which, 
like  the  flowers  "  on  dreamland  graves,"  only 
spring  from  tears.  It  was  "  the  little  more  of 
Agnes  "  that  lie  had  sighed  for. 

In  spite  of  himself  his  eyes  filled  with  tears. 
Lei,  the  weak  mourner,  Avas  something  precious 
and  holy  to  him ;  with  all  his  faults,  he  was  one 
of  the  princely  few  to  whom  the  loved  are 
doubly  endeared  by  poverty  and  affliction. 

He  knelt  at  her  feet,  a  half  smile  was  on  her 
face;  he  prayed  that  She  might  awake,  forgive 
him  all  the  past  and  promise  him  all  the  future. 
How  infinitely  nobler  is  she  now  than  when  she 
sparkled  pre-eminent  on  the  crown  of  fashion. 
"And  over  this  pure  spring,"  he  prayed,  "let 
me  be  the  tree  that,  taught  by  her  to  bloom, 
may  shade  and  shelter  her  forever  with  its  arms." 


192  LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

ILL  any  of  our  readers  imitate  the  good 
world,  and  abandon  Mr.  Almy  because 
the  house  is  falling?  Heartily  tired  of  a 
tedious  tale,-  will  they  leave  our  frail  creatures  of 
an  hour  to  take  their  chances  with  poverty,  and 
remain  perfectly  indifferent  to  the  result?  But 
in  books,  if  not  in  life,  persons  become  so  much 
more  attractive  in  adversity  —  all  our  affections 
are  enlisted,  we  wish  we  had  it  in  our  power  to 
assist  them,  we  would  do  anything  in  the  wide 
world  —  die  for  them,  if  necessary;  for  our 
sympathy  costs  us  nothing  beyond  a  tear,  soon 
shed  and  sooner  dried. 

Agnes  had  written  to  her  mother  for  permis 
sion  to  stay  and  nurse  Mr.  Almy  and  comfort 
Lei.  We  need  not  say  that  this  permission  was 
granted,  nay,  enjoined.  The  mother's  heart  was 
yearning  for  her  daughter,  and  full  of  tender  fears 
for  her  safety  ;  but  she  wrote  :  — 

"  Stay,  my  child,  and  do  your  duty." 
Hers  was  the  meek  heroism  of  a  self-denying 
heart,  the  heroism  of  which  earth  is  silent  and 
heaven  musical.  Agnes  saw  with  real  pleasure 
Melville's  returning  love  for  Lei ;  she  saw  with  a 
smile  his  complete  indifference  to  herself.  She 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  193 

had  wounclccl  his  pride  deeply  and  bitterly ;  and 
wounded  pride  must  revenge  itself  in  some  way, 
though  it  be  in  forgiveness.  Melville,  of  course, 
felt  no  resentment ;  but  he  could  not  help  think 
ing  that  Agnes  had  been  too  dictatorial ;  that,  in 
short,  she  wanted  that  feminine  gentleness  which 
Lei  possessed  in  such  an  eminent  degree.  She 
had  spoken  to  him  like  a  pedantic  school-girl, 
whose  mouth  was  full  of  set  phrases  ;  who  firmly 
believed  her  wise  stereotype  sentences  an  answer 
to  every  argument,  —  revolting  cannon  adapted 
to  repel,  no  matter  what  or  where,  the  attack. 
lie  was  tempted  to  laugh  at  the  patronizing  air 
with  which  she  had  referred  him  to  Kempis  on 
Xnture  and  Grace  ;  it  could  not  have  been  in 
humility.  And  then  the  parrot-like  repetition 
of  —  "  By  the  practice  of  my  religion,  —  by  the 
practice  of  my  religion"  as  if  a  person  could  be 
any  wiser  by  a  participation  in  the  sacraments? 
as  if  God  would  give  us  light  to  know  our  voca 
tion  when  we  employ  all  the  means  He  has 
appointed  to  obtain  His  grace  and  direction;  as 
if  a  young  heart  could  gather  wisdom  and  ex 
perience  from  constant  self-examination  and  the 
confessional.  But  worse  than  this,  Agnes  had 
been  the  cause  of  pain  to  Lei ;  he  could  not  for 
give  this.  She  had  been  the  cause  of  his  own 
fickleness ;  he  could  not  forgive  this  either. 


194  LORETTO;    OE,   THE   CHOICE. 

If  any  are  disposed  —  and  there  must  be  many 
—  to  frown  Melville  down  as  an  insignificant 
fellow  in  spite  of  his  generosity,  we  pray  them 
to  examine  well  their  own  hearts  before  they 
pronounce  sentence.  There  is  a  time  when  we 
think  we  love,  and  a  time  when  we  do  love. 
Melville  only  thought  he  loved  Lei,  for  she  was 
so  gifted,  so  beautiful,  that  it  was  impossible  to 
resist  her  fascination  ;  but  her  levity  and  wilful- 
ness  kept  him  from  being  really  in  love.  Is  he 
to  be  despised  for  this?  Millions  have  the  reck 
lessness,  nobleness,  selfishness,  folly,  call  it  what 
you  Avill,  to  sacrifice  wisdom  for  love ;  hut  not  one 
in  ten  thousand  can  reverse  the  case.  But  there's 
very  little  love  alive,  and  less  that's  worth  men 
tioning.  It  was  only  when  Lei  displayed  that 
mis:ht  of  firmness  and  affection  around  her 

O 

father's  bedside ;  it  was  only  when  she  was  an 
outcast  from  fashion  and  fortune,  when  her  cheek 
was  pale  and  wasted,  when  she  needed  assistance 
and  comfort,  when  others  were  deserting  her, 
when  the  house  was  falling;  it  was  only  then, 
that  Melville  began  to  love.  Let  him  be  honored 
for  it;  such  things  are  rare. 

Mr.  Almy  was  recovering  very  slowly;  his 
constitution  had  been  almost  fatally  shattered; 
the  physician  hoped  to  restore  him  by  summer. 
He  was  well  enough,  however,  to  look  into  the 


LOBETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  195 

affairs  of  Ins  house  and  to  resume  operations  as 
well  as  could  be  done  from  his  pillow.  And  it 
must  be  said  that  his  brother  merchants,  with 
scarce  an  exception,  were  ready  to  extend  a 
helping  hand.  There  is  a  touch  of  professional 
pride  in  almost  every  department  of  life,  which, 
though  not  a  Christian  virtue,  is  still  a  manly 
laurel,  whose  leaves  adorn  the  desert  through 
which  we  journey. 

How  changed  was  Lei !  A  deeper  change 
had  taken  place  than  Melville  dreamed  of,  a 
change  produced  by  suffering  and  Agnes.  On 
the  fly-leaf  in  her  cousin's  prayer-book  Lei  had 
written  in  pencil. these  unpretending  lines,  which 
express  more  than  we  could  do  in  as  many 
pages : 

Who  shall  comfort,  who  shall  cheer  me 

Who  shall  bid  my  sorrows  cease  ? 
Is  there  not  a  spirit  near  me, 

Pointing  to  a  land  of  peace  ? 
When  the  tender  heart  is  shaken 

By  the  hands  that  blessed  before, 
When  by  all  the  world  forsaken, 

Is  there  nothing,  nothing  more  ? 

Who  will  shelter,  who  will  love  me, 

Who  will  dry  the  lonely  tear  ? 
Is  there  not  a  voice  above  me, 

Sweetly  whispering,  ';  I  am  near  ! 


196  LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

I  will  ever  watch  beside  thee, 

I  will  be  tby  faithful  friend; 
Love  me,  and  my  love  shall  guide  thee  ; 

Kneel,  and  let  thy  sorrows  end  ! " 

Lei  had  music  of  her  own  for  this ;  a  simple, 
mournful  melody,  such  as  pious  peasants  dream 
of.  She  was  humming  it  over  one  evening  at 
at  the  close  of  spring  in  her  father's  chamber. 
Mr.  Almy  was  still  unable  to  leave  his  room ;  he 
was  sitting  in  an  easy-chair,  near  the  open  win 
dow  that  overlooked  his  garden,  and  he  could 
once  more  see  the  blessed  sun  and  feel  the  light 
south  winds ;  he  could  once  more  look  out  upon 
the  green  grass  and  gay  flowers  below.  Agnes 
had  gone  to  vis-it  some  poor  people  ;  the  father 
and  daughter  were  alone. 

"  Gome  closer  to  me,  Lei,"  said  Mr.  Almy ;  "  I 
will  tell  you  a  story."  He  took  her  hand  in  his. 
"You  scarcely  remember  your  mother;  I  have 
rarely  spoken  to  you  of  her.  Perhaps  you 
thought  I  had  forgotten  her ;  but  no,  no,  I 
remembered  her  too  wTell  for  my  own  peace. 
She  was  the  sweetest  and  best  of  human  beings  ; 
I  love  Agnes  because  she  reminds  me  of  her." 

The  fallen  merchant  paused  and  pressed  his 
daughter's  hand  more  closely. 

"  She  was  a  pious,  practical  Catholic ;  she 
never  missed  mass,  not  even  on  the  cold  winter 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  197 

mornings,  when  she  had  to  go  shivering  through 
the  streets  before  sunrise,  whilst  I  clung  to  the 
warm  blankets,  pitying  my  good  wife's  fanati 
cism. 

"When  her  last  lingering  illness  came  she 
bore  it  without  a  murmur.  I  wish  all  the  phi 
losophers  in  the  universe  had  seen  the  meek, 
patient,"  joyous  fortitude  of  that  Christian  woman. 
I  had  been  an  infidel ;  at  least  I  took  pride  in 
passing  for  one,  but  my  faith  in  atheism  was 
shaken  by  the  spectacle ;  for  I  saw  that  visible 
support  which  humility  obtains  from  heaven  ;  I 
saw  that  the  God  in  whom  she  trusted  did  not 
fail  her. 

"  She  called  me  to  her  deathbed ;  she  placed 
your  hand  in  mine,  as  I  hold  it  now,  and  charged 
me,  with  her  last  breath,  to  bring  you  up  a  Cath 
olic  ! " 

The  merchant  shuddered ;  he  seemed  not  to 
see  Lei,  she  was  kneeling  with  her  head  on  his 
lap,  bathing  his  hands  with  her  tears. 

"  I  made  the  promise.  Lei,  I  made  the  prom 
ise,  and,  O  God,  how  have  I  kept  it !  When  I 
remember  that  solemn  moment,  the  smile  she 
gave,  when  on  my  knees  I  made  the  pledge  she 
asked,  that  smile  which  was  still  on  her  face 
when  they  buried  her,  it  seems  like  a  frightful 
dream,  that  I  could  have  broken  my  word, 


198  LOEETTO;    OE,    THE   CHOICE. 

because  I  was  sneered  at,  because  I  wished  you 
to  enjoy  all  the  standard  follies  which  Catholicity 
forbids,  because  I  had  doomed  you  in  my  heart 
to  be  a  brilliant  woman  of  the  world !  Am  I 
not  a  villain?  Go  home  with  Agnes,  and  forget 
the  coward  traitor  to  his  wife  and  his  conscience, 
whom  you  have  loved  and  honored  as  a  kind, 
good  parent." 

In  a  paroxysm  of  tears  she  sprang  to  his 
breast,  and  threw  her  arms  around  his  neck. 

"  And  I  thought  I  was  making  some  amends 
by  staying  at  home  with  you,  by  inventing 
amusements  to  make  you  happy,  by  indulging 
you  to  excess,  and  accomplishing  your  mind 
and  person !  Can  you  forgive  me  ?  Can  you 
forgive  me,  my  own  dear,  injured,  martyred 
child?" 

She  pressed  his  head  to  her  bosom,  she  gave 
him  a  long  look  of  unutterable  love. 

What  are  all  the  vows,  the  sighs,  the  caresses 
of  chronicled  lovers  to  that  holy  kiss  coming  in 
mercy  and  love  from  a  daughter's  lips  ? 

"  Hear  me  out,"  he  resumed.  "  I  studied  Cath 
olicity  to  justify  myself  by  detecting  its  errors, 
and  I  found  its  truth.  I  feared  to  own  it,  even 
to  myself ;  I  feared  to  confess  it  to  the  world  ; 
the  confession  would  have  injured  my  business, 
would  have  made  me  ridiculous ;  and  so  I  risked 


LOEETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE.  199 

my  salvation  and  yours  for  that  bubble,  human 
esteem,  and  sought  to  drown  my  conscience  by 
nightly  potations." 

"  Thank  God,  you  did  not  succeed ! "  cried 
Lei,  embracing  him  again  and  again. 

"I  did  not  succeed,"  said  Mr.  Almy.  "If 
ever  a  man  toiled  for  a  false  conscience  I  did ; 
but  I  did  not  get  it  because  an  angel  in  heaven 
Avas  praying  for  both  of  us  !  " 

Until  then  the  fallen  merchant  had  not  shed 
a  tear ;  but  they  came,  at  last,  blissful,  blessed 
drops,  that  washed  away  the  agony  and  shame 
of  years.  And  amid  them,  though  his  face  was 
white  and  haggard,  though  his  eyes  were  sunk 
en,  though  the  lines  on  his  high  forehead  were 
deeper,  Lei  saw  the  expression  he  ought  to  have 
—  the  very  look  she  had  dreamed  of  and  prayed 
for. 

He  folded  her  to  his  heart,  he  dried  his  tears 
on  her  hair,  and  said,  in  a  voice  broken  with 
emotion  :  — 

"  We  will  meet  your  mother  in  heaven  !  " 

Agnes,  who  had  just  entered  the  room,  seeing 
their  agitation,  was  about  to  retire,  when  Mr. 
Almy  called  her  back. 

"You  are  one  of  us,  Agnes,"  he  said.  "Lei 
will  tell  you  all  that  has  passed  between  us. 
There  was  a  time,"  he  continued,  smiling, 


200  LOBETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  when  I  was  foolish  enough  to  think  that  you 
might  be  one  of  us  in  name  as  well  as  in  spirit. 
But  you  have  chosen  the  better  part.  How 
tired  you  must  be  of  helping  to  nurse  me,  of 
gratifying  all  my  whims,  of  hearing  all  my  com 
plaints,  of  seeing  all  my  misery.  It  is  a  shame 
for  us  to  keep  you  here  —  we  can  do  without 
you  now  —  at  least  we  have  no  right  to  expect 
you  to  remain,  merely  because  we  would  miss 
you  so  much." 

"  I  scarcely  expected,"  replied  Agnes,  "  to  be 
dismissed  so  unceremoniously ;  but  I  am  deter 
mined  not  to  go  back  to  Loretto  until  your 
daughter  goes  with  me ;  and  abuse  me  as  you 
please,  I  will  not  stir  a  step  befoi'e  she  is  ready." 

"It  is  hard,"  pursued  Mr.  Almy,  "to  keep 
from  hating  you,  you  make  such  large  demands 
on  my  gratitude.  As  for  Melville,  I  shall  cer 
tainly  hate  him,  unless  I  become  able  to  repay 
his  magnanimous  kindness.  It  is  just  like  him  : 
there  never  was  a  knight  in  all  chivalry  equal  to 
him.  I  do  believe  he  has  given  me  every  dollar 
he  has,  and  is  selling  his  pictures  and  trinkets  to 
maintain  himself  from  day  to  day.  My  house 
and  furniture  will  bring  something;  and  if  I 
could  get  amongst  my  clerks  once  more  I  might 
make  a  living  yet,  and  do  something  for  Lei." 

"  Never  mind  your  clerks  or  me  either,"  said 


LOKETTO;    OE,    THE    CHOICE.  201 

Lei ;  "make  up  your  mind  to  go  to  Loretto  with 
Agnes  as  soon  as  you  are  able  to  move  about. 
I  will  stay  here  and  teach  music" 

';  Under  Airs.  Hoity's  protection  ?  "  interposed 
her  father. 

"  Under  God's  protection?"  cried  Lei;  "and 
with  these  little  fingers  will  build  you  a  cottage 
near  the  convent,  where  we  may  spend  the  rest 
of  our  lives  together." 

"  Will  those  little  fingers  pay  off  Melville, 
too  ?  "  said  her  father. 

"One  finger  of  her  right  hand  alone  would 
more  than  pay  him,"  answered  Agnes. 

A  blush  passed  over  Lei's  face,  succeeded  by 
the  most  painful  thought.  There  was  a  struggle 
going  on  in  that  young  heart,  to  which  few  so 
young,  so  impulsive,  so  capable  of  love  are 
equal.  Melville  had  too  much  delicacy  to  de 
clare  himself  so  soon  after  a  refusal  from 
Agnes ;  the  misfortunes  of  her  father,  and  her 
own  altered  position,  in  which  a  lover,  equally 
generous,  but  less  refined,  would  have  seen  an 
excuse  for  precipitation,  only  served  to  deter 
him  from  a  step  which  might  seem  forced  by 
compassion,  or  taken  in  the  hope  that  if  he  had 
been  fickle,  she  was  poor  and  desolate  enough 
now  to  forgive  and  gratefully  welcome  him. 
back. 


202  LOEETTO  J    OK,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  Was  Gabriel  with  you  ?  "   said  Mr.  Almy  to 
Agnes,  breaking  the  awkAvard  pause. 

"I   have   not   seen   him  since  morning,"  she 
replied. 

We  must  here  remark  a  change  in  Mr.  Almy 
towards  Gabriel.  Formerly  the  proud  merchant 
regarded  him  with  ill-concealed  aversion ;  he 
seemed  to  think  him  an  impertinent  intruder,  an 
officious  busybody,  always  blundering  and  al 
ways  out  of  place.  Whenever  he  spoke  to  him 
it  was  with  a  scowl,  full  of  hatred,  yet  not  un- 
mingled  with  fear.  But  as  soon  as  the  fever 
left  him  it  was  different;  he  loved  to  have 
Gabriel  near  him ;  he  welcomed  his  pale  face  to 
his  bedside,  and  was  never  happier  than  when 
Gabriel  would  come  and  sit  by  him  and  smile 
him  to  sleep.  Perhaps  the  young  man's  kind 
ness  had  won  his  heart,  perhaps  adversity  had 
taught  him  forgiveness,  perhaps  there  was  ano 
ther  reason.  Be  this  as  it  may,  Mr.  Almy  and 
Gabriel  were  friends.  This  meek,  benevolent 
creature  had  never  resented  the  merchant's  in 
sults;  at  times  he  would  disappear,  for  weeks 
and  then  return  as  humble,  as  charitable,  as  un 
complaining  as  ever.  !N"o  Avonder,  then,  he  re 
plied  to  advances  so  Avarmly  made ;  he  scarcely 
knew  the  meaning  of  revenge,  and  no  one  ever 
appealed  to  him  in  affliction  Avithout  finding  a 
friend. 


LOEETTO  ;   OR,    THE    CHOICE.  203 

It  is  the  bright  month  of  June  ;  Mr.  Alray  is 
nearly  well.  Again  that  good  priest,  that  dimin 
utive  old  man,  with  short  gray  hair  and  small 
gray  eyes,  is  in  the  house.  He  had  been  there 
more  than  once ;  he  had  brought  books  there  ; 
he  had  been  alone  with  Mr.  Almy  hours  at  a 
time. 

It  is  a  Sunday  morning  in  July ;  the  bells  are 
ringing  for  early  mass  —  it  is  the  feast  of  St. 
Vincent  of  Paul.  The  good  priest  is  at  the 
altar,  and,  at  the  communion  railing,  Agnes, 
Gabriel,  Lei,  and  Mr.  Almy  are  kneeling  side 
by  side. 

There  are  two  more  stanzas  pencilled  in  the 
prayer-book :  — 

I  have  sought  thee,  I  have  found  thee 

Lamb  of  mercy,  holy  guest ; 
Thy  eternal  love  has  bound  thee 

Captive  in  a  mortal  breast. 
Oh,  that  I  had  sooner  tasted 

Joys  I  never  knew  before ! 
Oh,  had  I  the  youth  I  wasted, 

Back  again,  to  live  it  o'er!  — 

Oh,  that  I  had  sooner  known  thee* 

Oh,  could  I  the  past  recall 
Yet  thou  wilt  not  now  disown  me 

Father  of  the  Trodigal ! 


204  LOEETTO  J    OE,    THE    CHOICE. 

To  my  breast,  thy  Son,  descending, 

Sweetly  there  appeals  for  me; 
Let  me  then,  thus  humbly  bending, 

Pledge  the  rest  of  life  to  thee !  — 

Mr.  Almy's  conversion  was  by  no  means 
great  an  event  as  bis  failure. 

"  It  is  very  natural,"  observed  Mrs.  Hoity, 
"that  a  falling  family  sbould  cboose  an  unfash 
ionable  religion.  And  as  for  Lei,"  she  said,  "she 
Avould  turn  Turk  or  anything  else  to  please  her 
father."  And  these  wise  remarks  embodied  the 
opinion  of  the  world  in  general.  In  a  few  days, 
however,  the  world  ceased  to  have  an  opinion  ; 
and  Mr.  Ahny  was  permitted  to  go  to  his  count 
ing-room  without  being  cross-questioned  or  stared 
at. 

The  dwelling-house  and  furniture  were  adver 
tised  for  public  sale  ;  Lei  and  Agnes  were  pre 
paring  to  revisit  Loretto. 

Melville  determined  to  speak  ;  it  was  Lei's  last 
day  in  town";  he  could  not  part  from  her  without 
an  explanation  ;  she  was  so  frail,  so  spirit-like,  he 
mitjht  never  see  her  again. 

O  O 

The  moment  came  ;  his  elaborate  excuses,  his 
long  professions  all  failed  him.  He  knelt  to  the 
injured  girl,  and  uttered  the  single  words,  "I  love 

you." 

Lei  was  calm  and  smiling;   the  struggle  had 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  205 

taken  place,  the  victory  was  gained  before  she 
went  to  communion. 

"  You  tell  me  that  you  love  me,"  said  Lei ;  "  it 
may  be,  and  my  weak  heart  is  willing  to  believe 
it.  I  thought  so  once  before ;  you  know  how 
much  I  was  mistaken.  I  need  not  say  that  the 
gift  of  your  fortune  'to  my  impoverished  father 
lias  not  diminished  my  regard.  If  I  do  not  ad 
mit  that  I  love  you,  I  confess  that  I  shall  never 
love  another.  But  I  cannot  accept  your  addresses 
for  a  year,  and  not  then'1''  —  her  voice  faltered  — 
"unless  you  are  a  Catholic!" 

While  the  words  were  ringing  in  his  ears  she 
hurried  from  the  room  and  threw  herself  into 
Agnes'  arms.  Lei !  Lei !  thou  tender  girl,  there 
is  not  a  hero  in  history  with  a  soul  like  thine. 
Yet  the  world  has  cast  thee  off;  it  has  forgotten 
thee — even  Ae,  the  first  and  last  choice  of  thy 
heart,  may  forget  thee  too,  for  thou  hast  re 
nounced  him.  But  weep  not,  weep  not,  Lei ; 
the  angels  are  around  thee,  and  all  the  saints  of 
heaven  are  smiling,  as  thy  heavenly  Father  ac 
cepts  and  records  the  sacrifice  thou  hast  made ! 

And  that  night  Lei  had  a  dream — the  same 
she  had  at  Loretto.  She  dreamed  that  she  was 
in  the  convent  chapel,  alone,  at  midnight ;  that 
as  she  was  kneeling  there  a  lady,  whose  face  was 
concealed  by  a  white  veil  spangled  with  stars,  ap- 


206  LOEETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

peared  upon  the  altar.  Slowly  and  noiselessly 
the  figure  moved  towards  her  and  stood  over  her 
—  the  veil  was  uplifted  —  is  was  her  mother! 
Not  the  pale,  cold  body  she  had  seen  in  the  coffin, 
but  the  mild,  warm,  bright  being,  whose  breast 
had  once  been  her  home  —  the  living  mother  of 
other  days.  Still  more  radiant  was  her  smile 
when  she  stooped  and  kissed  her,  saying,  "  Now 
you  are  mine  !  " 

There  is  another  figure  on  the  altar — another 
Mother,  but  infinitely  more  beautiful,  infinitely 
more  tender ;  and  from  her  hands  and  forehead 
are  streaming  rays  of  glory  that  bathe  the  sanc 
tuary  in  light.  And  as  she  stood,  a  child  ap 
peared  upon  her  breast,  whose  lustre  eclipsed  her 
own ;  a  halo  trembled  around  his  head,  and  he 
stretched  forth  his  little  hands  to  the  sleeper,  and 
she  awoke  with  a  prayer  on  her  lips  and  her 
heart  full  of  joy  and  hope. 

The  morning  was  just  beginning  to  break ; 
Agnes  was  kneeling  over  her  friend,  her  face 
wet  with  tears. 

""What,"  said  Lei,  glancing  at  her  cousin's 
undisturbed  bed,  "  have  you  been  up  all  night?" 

"  I  have  been  thinking  of  my  past  presump 
tion,"  replied  Agnes ;  "  it  is  enough  to  keep  me 
awake.  In  the  pride  of  my  heart  I  came  here 
thinking  that  I  was  an  angel  commissioned  to 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  207 

save  and  instruct  you ;  I  regarded  you  with  a 
sort  of  compassion,  lamenting  that  you  had  not 
the  heart  to  love  God  as  I  did.  Oh,  Lei,  our 
Father  in  heaven  has  vouchsafed  me  a  glance 
into  my  o\vn  heart,  and  I  tremble  at  the  knowl 
edge  of  what  evil  I  am  capable.  Had  my  edu 
cation  been  like  yours  I  should  be  a  victim  and 
a  scourge.  Even  now,  I  might  not  relinquish 
human  love,  as  you  are  doing.  You  have  been 
dreaming  sweetly;  let  me  kiss  this  pure  temple, 
in  which  God  is  dwelling." 

"My  own  Agnes,"  said  Lei,  returning  her 
embrace,  "  I  owe  all  that  I  am  to  your  example, 
and  so  does  my  father.  Had  my  mother  lived, 
I  might  have  escaped  many  a  sin,  but  I  never 
should  have  been  what  you  are.  Dear,  dear 
Agnes,  you  have  more  to1  contend  Avith  in  one 
hour  than  I  in  a  lifetime." 

The  sun  had  risen,  and  the  two  friends  went 
forth  to  communion.  Never  had  Lei  felt  such  a 
transport  of  joy  and  peace ;  and  if  Agnes  was 
pale  with  watching,  her  face  was  calmer  and 
nobler  than  it  had  ever  been.  These  are  the 
morning  walks  that  give  health  and  bliss,  that 
lead  to  a  country  of  perpetual  green  and  unfad 
ing  flowers,  where  the  spirit  never  sickens  or 
languishes,  where  all  is  freshness,  light,  and 
music. 


208  LOEETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE. 

The  carriage  was  at  the  door  to  perform  its 
last  family  service  ;  it  was  to  be  sold  that  morn 
ing.  Mr.  Almy  silently  folded  Agnes  and  Lei 
to  his  breast,  mutely  blessed  them,  and  walked 
away,  leaving  them  in  charge  of  Melville.  The 
old  black  coachman  drew  his  rough  sleeve  across 
his  eyes  and  drove  off.  Lei  watched  the  old 
house,  the  old  house  where  she  was  born,  where 
her  mother  died,  where  she  had  first  wept  and 
smiled,  where  she  had  learned  to  love  her  father, 
where  she  had  frolicked  as  a  child,  romped  as  a 
girl,  danced  as  a  woman ;  the  old  house  where 
she  had  first  met  Melville,  and  lost  and  regained 
him ;  where  little  Clarence  had  dined  and  won 
dered  ;  where  so  many  a  match  was  made,  so 
many  a  vow  spoken  and  broken ;  where  her 
little  fingers  had  first  trickled  as  aimlessly  as 
rain-drops  over  the  piano;  the  old  house  immor 
tal  with  Beethoven's  Sonatas  and  Mendelssohn's 
trios ;  where  Handel,  Haydn,  Mozart,  Weber, 
Meyerbeer,  Heller,  Thalberg,  Schuberth,  Schul- 
hoff,  Listz,  clustered  like  familiar  genii  around 
Aladdin's  lamp,  awaiting  the  touch  of  its  mis. 
tress ;  the  old  house  endeared  by  so  many  years 
of  joy,  consecrated  by  so  many  months  of  pain; 
whjere  she  had  nursed  her  father,  where  she  had 
heard  his  story,  where  they  had  taken  together 
the  first  blessed  draught  at  the  well-spring  of 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  209 

Catholicity,  where  they  had  breakfasted  after 
communion,  where  she  had  dreamed  of  her  two 
mothers  and  the  divine  babe  on  the  altar.  She 
watched  it  with  a  swelling  heart  as  long  as  it 
was  in  sight,  for  she  loved  it  as  if  it  lived. 

Gabi'iel  met  them  at  the  cars. 

"  Do  not  leave  my  father,"  said  Lei. 

"He  does  not  need  me  now,"  whispered 
Gabriel.  "I  serve  another  master,"  he  added, 
looking  at  Melville. 

Before  leaving  the  carriage  Lei  had  taken  a 
silver  medal  from  her  wrist  and  thrown  it  over 
Melville's  neck. 

"Wear  it,"  she  said,  "and  say  the  prayer 
whenever  you  think  of  me.  I  shall  be  happy  if 
I  serve  to  remind  you  of  heaven." 

The  cars  are  gliding  off.     Farewell ! 

At  ten  o'clock  Melville  wandered  up  to  Mr. 
Almv's  ;  a  red  flag  is  waving  from  Lei's  window. 

w  y  ~ 

He  shuddered,  his  knees  shook,  the  dreary, 
blank  existence  before  him  was  worse  than 
death.  But  he  had  a  duty  to  perform ;  sad  as 
it  was,  there  was  hope  and  consolation  in  it. 
Lei  he  had  not,  but  no  other  had  her,  and  no 
other  should  have  her  piano. 


210  LOEETTO  J    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

SAY,  Charley,"  chuckled  the  Colonel, 
"  These  are  fine  birds,  fine  birds.  I 
don't  think  I  missed  a  single  shot." 

The  old  gentleman  had  spent  the  afternoon 
woodchuck  shooting,  and  his  bag  was  handsomely 
filled.  Though  a  poor  angler,  as  we  have  seen, 
he  was  a  capital  shot ;  in  fact,  he  shot  well 
enough  to  be  called  Colonel  without  any  other 
pretension  to  the  title. 

He  was  returning  home,  a  little  fatigued,  but 
flushed  with  success,  and  longing  for  some  good 
friends  to  partake  of  the  supper  he  promised 
himself  that  very  night,  when  he  saw  a  carriage 
passing  along  the  road  towards  Loretto.  He 
could  see  it  plainly  although  hidden  from  it  by 
the  woods.  All  at  once  the  dogs,  who  were 
ranging  ahead,  set  up  a  bark  and  scampered 
after  the  carriage.  Xeither  Charley  nor  the  Col 
onel  could  whistle  them  back.  Away  they  went, 
like  those  faithful  hounds  in  Burger's  ballad. 

"  That's  strange,"  muttered  the  Colonel. 

"  I'll  bet  it's  Miss  Agnes !  "  shouted  Charley. 

Taking  fire  at  the  suggestion,  the  Colonel 
bounded  forward  and  cleared  the  fence  as  though 
a  bullet  had  never  made  a  hole  in  his  leg.  Agnes 


LOKETTO  ;    OK,    THE    CHOICE.  211 

ought  to  have  written  word  the  very  day  she 
meant  to  arrive  instead  of  leaving  it  uncertain. 

And  now,  my  dear  reader,  you  are  again  at 
Loretto.  The  forest  trees  are  in  leaf,  the  or 
chards  heavy  with  fruit,  the  spring  flowers  have 
passed  away,  and  the  busy  bees  have  exhausted 
the  honeysuckles  wreathing  the  white  porches. 
Agnes  is  in  her  mother's  arms,  and  all  those 
anxious  moments,  all  those  trembling  fears,  all 
those  sleepless  nights  and  weary  days  are  for 
gotten  as  the  tearful  widow  strains  to  her  heart 
her  only  child.  What  matters  it  that  she  is 
thinner  and  paler,  that  there  is  no  longer  a  par 
ticle  of  the  girl  in  her  face,  that  she  is  no  longer 
young?  she  had  her  back  again,  safe  and  sound, 
and  in  the  joy  of  the  moment  she  asked  no 
more. 

Lei,  too,  was  in  her  arms  —  no  longer  the 
thoughtless,  merry  girl ;  no  longer  buoyant  with 
life,  health,  and  hope,  darting  here  and  there  like 
a  butterfly  ;  no  longer  the  flattering  tease,  the 
spoiled  favorite  of  fashion  ;  but  Lei  the  mourner, 
Lei  the  Catholic.  Yet,  to  the  mother's  eye, 
Agnes  had  changed  most;  for  Lei  was  happy  in 
her  faith,  and  her  joyous  soul,  though  rudely 
shaken,  was  still  ready  to  leap  up  again,  as  the 
young  tree  resumes  its  place  when  the  storm  that 
bent  it  is  over.  It  was  not  so  with  Agnes.  Why? 


212  LOKETTO  ;    OB,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  When  I  left  you"  she  said  to  her  mother  that 
night,  "  I  felt  sure  of  heaven;  now  I  do  not" 
The   Colonel  embraced   Lei   and   Ao-nes,  and 

O  t 

Agnes  and  Lei.  He  could  not  tell,  for  the  life 
of  him,  which  he  loved  most.  They  had  come 
just  in  time  for  his  woodcock;  and  Charley, 
with  the  big  drops  of  delight  dancing  in  his 
eyes,  put  forth  all  his  skill  on  the  precious 
birds. 

After  tea  they  took  a  walk  down  the  road  — 
Agnes  with  her  mother,  Lei  with  the  Colonel. 
Lei  had  never  seen  Loretto  in  summer;  the  hand 
of  a  fairy  seemed  to  have  passed  over  the  place ; 
all  round  her  was  beauty  and  repose.  The  lark 
was  gliding  lazily  to  bed ;  the  night-hawk  was 
wheeling  and  darting  through  the  air ;  the  cows 
were  soberly  walking  home  "  as  if  conscious  of 
human  affection;"  the  sheep  were  lying  down 
in  white  groups  for  the  night ;  the  trees  sighed 
in  the  evening  Avind ;  and  the  distant  spire  of 
the  convent  was  colored  by  the  crimson  clouds 
on  which  the  sun  was  still  shining  from  beneath 
the  horizon.  There  was  a  holy  calm  in  Lei's 
breast,  as  beautiful  and  profound  as  the  repose 
of  the  scene  on  which  she  gazed. 

"  Why  did  not  Almy  come?"  exclaimed  the 
Colonel.  "  We  would  have  made  him  a  boy 
again." 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE   CHOICE.  213 

"Why  could  he  not?"  thought  Lei;  but  she 
was  silent. 

And  when  the  stars  stole  out,  when  the  whip- 
poor-will  was  heard  in  the  woods,  when  the 
frogs  began  their  nightly  serenade  to  their  parent 
stream,  our  four  friends  betook  themselves  to 
the  porch. 

"  Why  didn't  you  bring  Melville  with  you," 
said  the  Colonel,  darting  his  cigar  at  a  perse 
vering  gnat,  "  or  some  other  young  gentleman, 
instead  of  returning  like  two  old  maids  ?  " 

"As  we  are,"  added  Lei. 

" Nonsense!"  simpered  the  Colonel,  confound 
ing  his  little  persecutor  with  a  prodigious  puff. 
"  What  do  you  think  of  the  world,  Agnes  ?  rather 
a  nice  place  after  all,  eh  ?  Oh,  I  have  had  my 
time  in  it !  " 

"And  so  have  I,"  said  Agnes. 

"You  ought  to  see  more  of  it,  my  girl." 

"  No,  thank  you,  I  have  seen  quite  enough." 

"  Why,  you  jade,  you,  what  have  you  seen  in  a 
month  ?  It  takes  one  years  to  see  the  world  as 
it  is  in  all  its  majestically  accumulating  glory 
and  versatile  interest.  Poh!"  continued  the 
Colonel,  "  what  have  you  seen  ?" 

"I  have  seen,"  returned  Agnes,  with  provok 
ing  calmness,  "that  its  standard  of  morality  is 
not  God's  standard ;  that  wealth  and  impru- 


214  LOEETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

dence  are  its  virtues;  poverty  and  modesty  its 
vices ;  that  money  is  its  god,  its  grand  govern 
ing  principle,  to  which  all  else  is  subservient; 
that  happiness  is  measured  by  the  purse,  and 
that  a  comfortable  if  not  luxurious  settlement  in 
life  is  the  grand  goal,  in  the  chase  of  which  eter 
nity  is  lost  sight  of." 

"  Poh ! "  ejaculated  the  Colonel. 

"I  have  seen  Catholics  almost  universally 
ashamed  of  the  first  principles  of  their  faith,  and 
artfully  smoothing  them  over  to  attract  their 
dissenting  brethren.  I  have  seen  them  dressing 

o  o 

so  indecently,  even  when  priests  are  invited,  that 
their  pastors  are  put  to  the  blush." 

"  That's  the  priests'  fault,"  mumbled  the  Colo 
nel. 

"I  have  seen,"  continued  Agnes,  smiling  at 
the  interruption,  "  that  your  happy,  merry  men 
and  women  are  only  so  because  they  have  a  false 
conscience  which  has  ceased  to  accuse  them  ;  I 
have  seen  all  who  have  virtue  enough  to  feel 
living  in  perpetual  fear  of  the  temptations  by 
•which  they  are  surrounded.  I  have  seen  that 
society  is  but  a  hollow  farce,  in  which  there  is 
neither  love  nor  friendship.  I  have  seen  the 
idol  of  a  thousand  worshippers  left  without  a 
single  friend  when  touched  by  poverty." 

The  Colonel  groaned  and  looked  away  from 
Lei. 


I.ORETTO;    Oil,    THE    CHO1CK.  21") 

"  And  I  have  seen,"  said  Agnes,  taking  her 
uncle's  hand  and  modulating  her  voice  to  a 
whisper,  "  I  have  seen,  that  in  spite  of  all  this, 
the  world  is  dazzlingly  beautiful,  winning,  en 
chanting.  And  oh,  my  dear,  good  uncle,  it  is 
not  God  that  makes  it  so !  I  have  felt,  its  insidi 
ous  fascination.  I  tell  you,  uncle,  that  I  have 
been  wandering  along  the  brink  of  a  precipice ; 
that  I  could  no  more  live  in  the  world  than  can 
the  moth  live  in  the  candle ;  that  my  only  salva- 
vation  is  in  that  convent ! " 

The  old  man  knocked  the  ashes  carefully  from 
his  cigar,  slowly  brushed  a  tear  from  his  eye? 
and  put  his  arm  around  Lei's  neck. 

"Thank  God,  you  are  not  a  Catholic!"  he  ex 
claimed.  "There  are  no  Protestant  convents  to 
take  you  from  me." 

With  tears  streaming  down  her  cheeks,  Lei 
leaned  her  head  on  his  shoulder.  A  horrible 
suspicion  ran  through  the  Colonel's  mind.  He 
raised  her  head  in  the  clear  moonlight,  and 
mutely  questioned  her,  with  such  a  fearful,  timid 
gaze,  that  her  heart  bled  for  him  as  she  said:  — 

"  Yes,  uncle,  I  am  a  Catholic ! " 

The  cigar  fell  from  his  hand,  his  cane  rolled 
on  the  porch,  his  broad  chest  swelled  as  if  his 
heart  was  bursting ;  had  they  both  been  dead  at 
his  feet  he  could  scarcely  have  shown  more  grief 


216  LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

than  at  this  overthrow  of  all  his  plans,  this  defeat 
of  his  best  diplomacy. 

"  Checkmated ! "  he  sobbed,  in  uncontrolled 
agony,  repulsed  them  sternly  from  his  side,  and 
then,  spreading  his  arms,  snatched  them  both  to 
his  bosom.  "  Checkmated  !  Checkmated  ! " 

One  word;  the  sermon  just  preached  by  Ag 
nes  against  the  world  has  nothing  new  in  it ; 
Solomon  put  it  all  in  a  nutshell  long  ago;  it 
will  be  found  better  expressed  in  every  prayer- 
book.  To  the  Colonel  it  was  perfectly  puerile, 
the  same  old  song  which  saints  and  misan 
thropists  have  been  singing  together  from  time 
immemorial.  Only  by  constant  meditation  do  we 
comprehend  that  life  is  but  a  preparation  for 
death ;  and  unless  this  great  truth  is  realized 
where  is  the  folly  in  living  as  if  time  were  the 
main  thing  and  eternity  a  trifle?  The  visible 
present,  though  brief,  and  bounded  by  the  grave, 
is  apt  to  be  more  important  than  the  invisible 
future.  Without  strong  faith  men  must  live  as 
they  do ;  and  all  who  reprove  them  for  neglect 
ing  their  souls,  in  over-devotion  to  their  bodies, 
will  seem  only  fools,  or  very  good  people  who 
have  not  weighed  well  the  difficulty  of  what 
they  propose.  Every  day  we  witness  the  same 
spectacle,  a  world,  for  whom  God  died  upon  the 
cross,  devoting  all  their  time,  all  their  thoughts 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  217 

to  obtain  material  comfort  and  avoid  sorrow, 
a  prayer  at  night,  an  ejaculation  in  the  morning  — 
the  rest  of  the  day  sacred  to  the  body.  "We  see 
this  every  day ;  we  do  not  wonder  at  it,  it  is  all 
right,  all  in  the  order  of  Providence ;  the  only 
mystery  is,  that  some  weak,  pious  souls  are 
absurd  enough  to  quit  the  world  and  devote  the 
greater  part  of  their  lives  to  religious  exercises  ; 
this  is  the  singular  part  of  it.  It  would  be  an 
unnatural  state  of  things,  indeed,  if  all  mankind 
were  to  make  business  secondary  to  religion,  and 
spend  as  much  time  in  praising  God  as  they  do 
in  making  money. 

Why,  the  best  instructed,  the  most  edifying 
Catholic  parents  cannot  help  preferring  an  aus 
picious  alliance  with  man  for  their  daughters  to 
an  eternal  union  with  God  in  the  solitary  clois 
ter  ;  and  how  can  we  expect  the  worldly-minded 
Colonel,  who  has  not  seen  a  confessional  for 
forty  years,  to  consider  the  choice  made  by 
Agnes  as  anything  else  than  a  burning  shame,  a 
living  death?  How  many  of  us  have  realized, 
by  prayer  and  meditation,  that  heaven  is  all  and 
earth  nothing?  How  many  of  us  are  truly  sick 
of  the  vanity  of  life,  much  as  we  pretend  to  be, 
and  do  not  sagely  conclude  that  our  neighbors 
and  ourselves  are  all  doing  our  duty,  taking  our 
share  of  enjoyment  with  sufficient  gratitude,  and 


218  LORETTO;   OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

bearing   our  just  proportion   of   affliction  with 
exemplary  resignation  ? 

There  was  a  time  when  monasteries  and 
chapels  were  as  numerous  as  castles,  when  the 
Christian  world  seemed  ambitious  to  live  a 
Christian  life,  when  self-denial  and  self-castiga- 
tion  were  honored,  when  the  consecration  of  a 
Cathedral  was  of  more  moment  than  the  open 
ing  of  a  railroad,  when  there  was  something 
nobler  than  science  and  dearer  than  profit,  when 
the  security  of  government  was  in  the  humility 
of  the  people,  when  the  security  of  the  people 
was  in  the  firmness  and  purity  of  the  church, 
when  there  was  not,  as  now,  a  groundwork  of 
ignorance,  pride,  and  envy,  which  is  either  a 
withering  master  or  a  dangerous  slave.  Yes, 
there  was  a  time  when  all  this  was,  and  when 
Agnes  might  not  have  been  laughed  at,  but  it 
was  in  the  dark  ages,  reader,  in  those  terrible 
nights  before  the  sunlight  of  newspapers  had 
illumined  the  earth.  ' 

Must  it  be  told  that  within  a  month  after  her 
return  from  the  city  Agnes  entered  the  convent 
as  a  candidate  ;  that  three  months  later  her  long 
hair  was  cut  to  suit  the  brown  cap  of  the  nov 
ice?  Until  her  hair  was  cut  the  Colonel  had 
cherished  a  hope  that  she  would  repent  her 
girlish  haste ;  but  when  he  saw  the  ruin  caused 


LOBETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE.  219 

by  those  envious  shears  he  could  not  help  saying, 
"It  is  all  over,  all  over."  And  ye  who  have 
clung  to  Agnes  in  the  hope  that  she  would  be 
induced  to  marry  Melville,  or  incline  to  31  r. 
Almy,  or  that  some  romantic  young  gentleman 
would  appear  upon  the  carpet,  invested  with 
every  virtue  and  every  grace,  between  whom 
and  our  young  novice  a  sweet  sympathy  might 
be  established  which  should  ultimately  lead  to 
better  things  than  the  cloister,  and  supply  a 
chapter  or  two  of  delicious  sentiment,  leave  us, 
we  beseech  you,  for  her  CHOICE  is  made,  though 
the  vows  are  not  yet  taken.  Yes,  she  is  lost 
to  the  world,  that  sweet,  beautiful  girl,  who 
laughed  so  merrily  with  her  load  of  premiums 
in  her  arms;  the  milk-white  lamb  amongst  those 
green  hills ;  the  friend  who  had  gone  to  change 
Lei,  and  who  did  change  her,  though  she  nearly 
perished  in  the  effort ;  the  kind  protectress  who 
had  comforted  little  Clarence  and  the  Wanderer; 
the  keen-sighted  woman  who  had  penetrated 
the  secret  of  Mr.  Almy's  face,  who  had  con 
quered  Melville  and  reigned  supreme  in  the 
ball-room,  eclipsing  all  the  practised  belles  of 
the  season.  She  icas  lost  to  the  world,  that 
sweet,  beautiful  girl,  who  was  so  well  fitted  to 
delight  and  adorn  it,  lost  before  the  first  bloom 
of  youth  had  passed  from  her  cheeks,  before 


220  LORETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

experience  had  dried  the  first  bright  waters  of 
hope  and  trust  that  are  born  in  our  hearts  ;  lost 
before  there  was  any  need  to  seek  a  refuge  from 
the  ills  of  life  in  that  last  resource,  a  convent. 
She  is  lost  to  the  icorld,  and  what  matters  it 
what  she  has  gained,  what  heaven  has  won.  So 
thought  the  Colonel. 

Yet  what  was  his  love  for  Agnes  compared 
to  her  mother's,  the  mother  who  remembered  her 
baptism,  her  first  cries,  her  first  words,  her 
first  caresses ;  who  had  counted  her  first  smiles 
and  treasured  them  in  her  heart ;  who  remem 
bered  every  incident  of  her  youth,  her  first  lisp 
ing  prayers,  her  first  songs,  her  first  visit  to 
mass,  her  first  confession,  her  first  communion, 
her  confirmation.  What  was  his  bereavement 
to  hers  ?  Agnes  was  her  only  child,  her  only 
companion  in  prayer,  her  jewel,  her  treasure, 
her  all  on  earth ;  a  thousand  uncles  could  not 
have  loved  her  as  she  did ;  their  lives  had  been 
one,  and  now  they  are  called  upon  to  live  apart. 
Oh,  not  apart!  Who  shall  say  apart?  When 
they  are  repeating,  day  after  day  and  night  after 
night,  the  same  dear  litanies,  when  they  are 
appealing  to  the  same  sainfs,  the  same  angels, 
the  same  Blessed  Mother,  the  same  Father,  Son 
and  Holy  Ghost,  when  they  are  living  together 
in  God,  who  shall  say  they  are  living  apart? 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  221 

And  thus  thought  Mrs.  Cleveland,  and  she 
missed  not  her  daughters  long,  dark  hair ;  and 
if  she  shed  floods  of  natural  tears  it  was  not 
because  her  daughter  was  clad  in  the  plain 
livery  of  heaven.  And  so  thought  Lei,  and  she 
was  glad  of  the  CHOICE,  though  she  had  now  to 
sit  and  sew  alone,  though  she  had  to  walk  alone, 
though  "she  had  to  watch  the  sun  rise  and  set, 
and  play  Beethoven,  and  listen  to  the  birds  and 
pluck  wild  flowers  and  muse  under  the  old  oak- 
trees  without  Asmes  at  her  side. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

HO  shall  say  what  passed  in  Agnes' 
heart  after  that  memorable  Thursday 
evening?  What  visions  of  worldly 
happiness  crowded  on  her  soul,  outshining  and 
eclipsing  the  silent  convent  to  which  she  had 
pledged  herself?  Before  her  first  visit  to  the 
city  she  had  wondered  how  others  could  be  so 
thoughtless  as  to  abandon  themselves  to  the 
insignificant  pleasures  which  she  despised,  and 
which  had  not  brilliancy  enough  even  to  tempt 
her.  But  on  a  sudden  her  soul  had  risen  up 
in  arms  against  her.  The  triumphs  and  the 


222  LOEETTO  J    OE,    THE    CHOICE. 

joys  which  had  been  contemptible  now  danced 
before  her  eyes  in  fearful  fascination.  They 
beckoned  her  on  through  a  lovely  vista,  opening 
into  sunshine  and  soft  splendor,  where  roses 
were  blooming,  where  trees  were  bending  over 
glittering  fountains,  dropping  luscious,  golden 
fruit.  She  had  measured  herself  with  those 
who  had  sneered  at  the  country  girl ;  she  had 
overtopped  them  and  moved  amongst  them  like 
a  queen.  She  had  perceived  her  superiority  — 
it  had  been  tacitly  admitted  —  she  saw  a  bril 
liant  career  before  her,  she  had  only  to  step  for 
ward  and  enjoy  it. 

Was  this  not  a  temptation  ?  We  have  written 
to  no  purpose  if  Agnes  is  still  considered  a  cold, 
calm,  passionless  creature.  We  have  written 
tp  no  purpose  if  the  likeness  to  her  father  has 
not  been  detected  by  more  than  Lei.  Few  minds 
could  spin  such  glancing,  silky  webs  for  the 
winged  soul ;  few  hearts  could  feel  the  enchant 
ment  of  fancy  so  deeply.  Yet  how  little  did  she 
know  this,  when  she  knelt  for  her  confessor's 
permission  to  save  Lei,  feeling  certain  of  her 
own  salvation  ! 

She  recalled  the  haughtiness  with  which  she 
had  referred  Melville  to  Kempis  on  Nature  and 
Grace,  as  if  she  were  pei-fect  in  that  sublime 
chapter.  Oh,  Agnes,  Agnes,  was  there  not  pride, 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  223 

presumption,  in  thy  self-confidence?  was  there 
not  too  much  contempt  for  others,  whom  thou 
didst  believe  weaker  than  thyself  ?  She  admitted 
it  in  tears  before  the  cross. 

And  the  world,  the  world  which  thou  hast 
scorned,  is  it  not  rather  to  be  feared  than  dared? 
is  it  not  rather  to  be  pitied  and  prayed  for  than 
spurned-  and  denounced  ?  Didst  thou  not  exempt 
thyself  from  the  censure  which  thou  didst  pass 
on  that  same  world,  and  think  thyself  better 
than  the  rest  of  mankind  ?  Ay,  even  during  the 
conversation  with  the  Colonel  on  the  porch,  when 
the  moon  was  shining,  the  evening  of  thy  return, 
didst  thou  apply  to  thyself  the  condemnation  so 
liberally  bestowed  on  thy  neighbors? 

What  would  she  not  have  given  for  that  per 
fect  repose,  that  calm  delight  she  felt  before 
leaving  Loretto !  Would  it  never  return  ?  Yet 
why  so  covetous  of  spiritual  enjoyment,  so  rest 
less  under  that  spiritual  desolation  with  which 
the  saints  themselves  are  visited  ?  But  in  the 
tumult  of  leaving  her  mother  —  and  such  a 
mother!  —  there  could  not  be  that  fulness  of 
joy  to  which  she  had  looked  forward  so  eagerly. 
Not  until  the  moment  of  parting  did  Agnes  know 
how  much  was  due  that  meek,  uncomplaining 
guardian  of  her  youth.  How  imperfectly  had 
she  returned  that  mother's  tender  love,  how  often 


224  LORETTO  ;    OE,    THE    CHOICE. 

had  she  been  wanting  in  affection,  how  little  had 
she  done  to  console,  to  amuse,  to  reward  tier  for 
faose  early  lessons  of  piety  without  which  her 
life  might  have  been  a  warning  ! 

Oh  no !    it  was  not  on  entering  the  convent 
that  the  voung  candidate's  soul  was  at  rest.     A 

v  O 

week's  retreat !  She  had  proved  her  own  noth 
ingness  ;  she  had  discovered  that  all  her  strength 
came  from  God  ;  that,  without  humility,  she  was 
powerless;  that  the  finger  of  heaven  had  pointed 
out  her  vocation,  not  as  an  honor  due  her  virtue, 
but  as  a  mercy  granted  to  her  weakness.  She 
looked  up  with  reverence  and  love  to  the  old 
sisters  around  her,  who  were  preparing  to  die  as 
they  had  lived,  and  begged  them  to  pray  that, 
like  them,  she  might  persevere  to  the  close. 
But  that  perfect  repose,  that  calm  delight,  would 
not  return !  That  spiritual  desolation  would 
not  pass  away !  As  the  traveller  in  the  desert 
pants  for  the  palm-tree's  shade  and  running 
waters,  as  the  weary  schoolboy  sighs  for  a 
Christmas  holiday,  as  the  wanderer  longs  for 
the  sweet  home  he  left  behind  him,  so  Agnes 
had  sighed  and  longed  for  the  beginning  of  her 
religious  life,  as  if  every  aspiration  would  then 
be  instantaneously  gratified,  as  if  the  unspeakable 
rapture  of  that  moment  would  exceed  all  the 
transports  of  youth  and  innocence.  But  instead 


LORETTO  ;   OR,    THE   CHOICE.  225 

of  this  it  is  a  time  of  tears  and  trial,  a  time 
of  doubt  and  fear,  in  which  not  one  of  these 
bright  promises  was  fulfilled.  Oh,  could  she 
flint*  herself  once  more  on  her  mother's  breast 

O 

and  die!  Is  heaven  so  hard  to  win?  Is  it  not 
easy  to  be  a  Sister  of  Charity?  Courage,  thou 
noble  girl ! 

The  fe'rvor  that  carried  thee  so  joyously  to 
communion  when  thou  wast  a  girl ;  the  devotion 
that  led  thee  to  the  city  to  save  thy  young  cou 
sin,  this  is  something,  but  something  more  must 
thou  have  to  be  a  Sister  of  Charity.  Let  the 
long  hours  of  meditation  pass  heavily;  let  thy 
thoughts  wander  painfully  to  thy  dear  mother ; 
let  thy  bosom  ache  even  in  the  chapel ;  let  thy 
pillow  be  steeped  in  nightly  tears ;  a  day  of  con 
solation  may  come,  when  the  sand  in  the  hour 
glass  shall  glide  away  unnoticed;  when  thy 
Blessed  Mother  in  heaven  shall  absorb  thy 
thoughts ;  when  thy  breast  shall  swell  with  joy 
before  the  altar ;  when  thy  pillow  shall  have  no 
thorn. 

Whilst    Agnes   was    thus    advancing  in   the 

O  ~ 

school  of  the  cross,  Lei  undertook  to  accomplish 
herself  in  all  the  departments  of  country  life. 
She  rose  before  the  sun,  and  (gentle  reader, 
wince  not !)  fed  the  chickens,  pigeons,  geese, 
ducks,  and  turkeys ;  she  learned  that  corn  was 


226  LOKETTO  ;   OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

planted  and  wheat  sown ;  she  was  initiated  into 
the  mysteries  of  milking,  creaming,  churning, 
curds,  and  cheese  ;  and  her  rural  ambition  en 
deared  her  to  every  hand  about  the  place,  to  the 
dairymaid  in  particular.  She  knew  the  names 
of  all  the  birds,  and  could  distinguish  them  by 
their  notes;  the  lark,  the  plover,  the  robin,  the 
quail,  the  woodcock,  the  flicker,  the  blackbird, 
were  no  longer  strangers,  but  familiar  friends. 

O  O  ' 

She  loved  to  take  the  shade  with  the  reapers  at 
nooning,  and  laugh  and  jest  with  them ;  and 
there,  with  her  green  sun-bonnet  cast  carelessly 
aside,  and  her  back  against  the  rough  tree,  few 
would  have  recognized  in  our  Lei  the  admitted 
leader  of  fashion,  the  reigning  star  of  many  a 
Winter. 

Her  daily  rides,  her  daily  rambles  over  the 
fields  in  search  of  new  flowers,  had  embrowned 
her  clear  cheeks  and  forehead  ;  and,  cheered 
and  reinvigorated  by  exercise  and  these  inno 
cent  pastimes,  the  lightness,  fulness,  freshness 
of  health  returned,  and  her  step  was  once  more 
as  free  as  air,  and '  her  figure  rounded  to  its  for 
mer  symmetry. 

But  if  she  loved  to  stray  over  the  farm  with 
the  Colonel  and  listen  to  his  piscatorial  exploits, 
still  more  did  she  love  to  accompany  Mrs. 
Cleveland  through  the  neighborhood,  until  she 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  227 

knew  the  road  to  every  cottage  that  needed 
charity.  And  the  people  testified  their  grati 
tude  by  saying  she  was  another  Agnes:  they 
knew  no  higher  compliment.  There  was  another 
pleasure ;  once  a  week,  not  ofteaer,  she  went 
with  her  aunt  and  uncle  to  see  Agnes,  and  the 
two  friends  would  visit  that  dear  old  confessor 
•who  had  inside  the  name  of  Ellen  Alrny  a  house 
hold  word  in  the  convent.  And  Lei  wrote  so 
many  sweet,  simple  hymns,  and  was  so  good  and 
kind,  that  the  sisters  loved  her  too,  and  their 
prayers  were  still  offered  up  for  her  peace  and 
happiness: 

And,  twice  a,  week  she  received  letters  from 
her  father  —  long  letters,  letters  that  she  might 
read  and  read  again,  and  then  file  away  in  her 
little  desk  as  so  many  treasures.  He  was  well 
and  doing  well.  He  promised  to  come  soon  and 
spend  a  fortnight  with  her.  Was  she  not 
happy?  Did  she  never  languish  for  that  bril 
liant  circle  which  was  still  moving  without  her, 
and  sigh  for  her  place  there?  Never  —  never. 
If,  at  times,  a  fear  would  cross  her  mind,  that 
the  world  might  regain  its  fatal  hold  on  her 
father  his  next  letter  drove  the  thought  away. 
True,  she  longed  to  be  with  him  ;  she  begged 
him  to  let  her  return  and  stay  at  his  side,  no 
matter  where  he  was,  or  what  might  happen ; 


228  LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

that  her  health  was  restored ;  that  she  would  be 
happier  with  him.  But'  he  forbade  it,  and  she 
submitted.  It  was  better  to  be  away  from  Mel 
ville,  and  she  tried  not  to  think  of  him,  save 
when  she  prayed  for  that  generous  friend. 

Mrs.  Cleveland  could  ill  have  spared  this  kind 
and  loving  girl ;  the  Colonel  could  not  have 
existed  without  her.  The  loss  of  Agnes  did  not 
grieve  him  long,  for,  with  the  facility  of  old 
age,  he  transferred  his  love  to  Lei,  and  thought 
that  Agnes  had  never  taken  half  the  interest  in 
his  tackle,  guns,  and  hounds  that  Lei  did ;  and 
Charley,  unconsciously  following  in  his  master's 
wake,  boldly  pronounced — out  of  his  mistress' 
hearing,  however  —  that  Miss  Lei  was  worth 
two  of  Miss  Agnes.  Most  of  our  readers  will 
side  with  Charley. 


CHAPTER    XXIY. 

INY  one  who  has  derived  his  chief 
pleasure  from  the  society  of  one  family, 
ffigife'  instead  of  relying  on  himself  or  on  the 
everlasting  many,  and  has  been  suddenly  de 
prived  of  this  sole  dependence,  will  sympathize 
with  Melville.  For  years  he  had  seen  Lei, 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  229 

almost  daily,  but  lie  knew  not,  until  they  parted, 
that  she  was  more  than  half  his  existence.  He 
could  easily  understand  why  Lei  should  reject 
his  addresses  for  a  year,  for  lie  had  given  her 
reason  to  suspect  his  constancy  ;  but  not  to  hear 
him  then  unless  he  was  a  Catholic  amazed  and 
confounded  him.  He  knew  that  the  Catholic 
Church  discouraged  mixed  marriages,  and  lie 
would  not  have  been  surprised  at  such  a  decla 
ration  from  an  Italian  peasant  girl,  but  such 
bigotry  in  the  high-bred,  accomplished,  and 
beautiful  Lei  was  a  mystery.  Had  she  fallen  a 
victim  to  those  Jesuitical  doctrines  by  which  the 
noblest  minds  in  the  world  have  been  perverted  ? 
Had  she  stifled  the  sweet  voice  of  nature  in  her 
soul  at  the  bidding  of  a  black-go Avned  priest  of 
Rome  ?  It  must  be  so  !  There  is  an  insuperable 
barrier  between  them  !  Lei  was  in  earnest ;  he 
could  trust  her  word  as  an  infant  trusts  its 
mother's  smile.  There  was  no  change  in  her 
love,  and  the  knowledge  of  this  was  another 
pang,  for  he  never  could  be  a  Catholic.  It  was 
out  of  the  question — absurd  —  impossible. 

He  had  her  piano  —  there  was  some  comfort 
in  that — and  would  sit  for  hours  brooding  over 
the  finger-board,  strumming  fragments  of  Lei's 
favorite  pieces  ;  but  the  instrument  was  dead  ;  the 
animating  spirit  was  gone,  gone  forever !  In  the 


230  LORETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

evenings  he  was  reasonably  happy  in  Mr.  Almy's 
society  —  they  lodged  together  —  but  the  long, 
cheerless  days  were  almost  insupportable.  Feel 
ing  the  necessity  of  employment,  to  save  himself 
from  constant  despondency,  he  resumed,  with  a 
view  to  practice,  the  study  of  medicine,  in  which 
he  had  already  taken  a  diploma  ;  not  that  he 
wanted  money,  for  Mr.  Almy  had  partially  re 
paid  him  with  half  the  sales  of  the  house  and 
furniture.  His  generosity  to  the  Almys  was 
known  —  Mr.  Almy  had  taken  no  pains  to  con 
ceal  it  —  but  this  was  not  much  to  his  credit  with 
the  world.  The  world  is  never  well  pleased  when 
called  on  to  admire  virtues  it  does  not  practise. 
Indeed,  Melville  was  looked  upon  as  a  tender 
hearted,  credulous  mortal,  who  had  been  duped 
out  of  a  large  fortune  by  the  wiles  of  an  old  mer 
chant  and  the  blandishments  of  an  artful  voting 

v  <j 

girl.  They  respected  him,  however  for  being 
prudent  enough  not  to  marry  Lei,  and  detected 
in  this  wise  resolve  a  glimmering  of  o-ood  sense 

O  O  O 

ainidst  his  folly.  So  powerfully  had  his  insane 
behavior  operated  on  society  that  his  former  in 
timates  were  disposed  to  cut  his  acquaintance, 
and  it  was  only  when  they  heard  he  still  had 
something  left  that  their  disgust  melted  into 
patronizing  pity. 

Under  these  auspices  Melville  might  hope  to 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  231 

start  in  his  new  profession  with  tolerable  success. 
His  manners  were  pleasing;  his  attainments  con 
siderable  ;  and,  with  proper  patronage,  he  was 
still  a  desirable  match.  If  the  silly  fellow  would 
only  give  up  the  Almys  all  might  go  well  with 
him,  and  he  might  even  aspire  to  Mrs.  Hoity's 
occasional  notice.  This  majestic  and  good- 
hearted  "soul  never  met  him  without  sneering  at 
Lei,  until  he  wished  the  portly  widow  a  man, 
that  he  might  dash  her  to  the  ground  and  set  his 
foot  on  her  neck.  Once,  in  speaking  of  Lei,  she 
said  to  him  with  a  wink  :  — 

"  Poor  little  creature,  how  hard  she  tried  to  get 
you  !  " 

"  It  is  false,  madam,"  cried  Melville,  "  I  tried 
all  I  could  to  get  her,  and  failed  !  I  would  give 
more  for  one  hair  of  her  head  than  for  your 
parlor  full  of  the  proudest  and  richest  of  this 
city." 

This  reckless  and  unpai'donable  speech  sealed 
Melville's  fate.  There  was  no  hope  in  the  upper 
circles  after  that ;  his  practice  must  come  from 
the  lower  classes. 

Melville  found  abundant  occupation  in  his 
medical  books ;  but  occupation  is  not  always 
consolation.  There  was  a  void  in  his  bosom  that 
pathology  could  not  fill.  As  for  Gabriel,  he  was 
a  poor  companion,  with  his  pale  face  and  uneasy 


232  LOKETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

whisper.  Almy  was  his  main  stay  —  for  did  not 
Lc4  write  long  letters  to  her  father  every  week  ? 
and  did  not  her  father  read  some  passages  from 
rustic  life  to  a  very  attentive  listener  ? 

One  evening,  to  Melville's  consternation  and 
regret,  Mr.  Almy  brought  home  to  tea  the  dim 
inutive  old  priest  with  short  gray  hair  and  small 
gray  eyes.      Melville  could  scarcely  salute  him, 
with  ordinary  civility ;   he  regarded  him  as  the - 
author  of  all  his  anguish,  the  thief  who  had  stolen 
away  his  Lei.      Mr.  Almy  had  never  seen  such  a 
bitter  cloud  on  his  room-mate's  brow ;  there  was 
something   dangerous   in   it.      Our   friend,   the 

o  o  * 

priest,  did  not  seem  to  notice  it;  or,  if  he  did, 
was  not  visibly  moved  by  the  gathering  storm, 
having  probably  encountered  rougher  weather  in 
his  lifetime. 

"  I  have  been  trying,"  said  Mr.  Almy,  "  to 
make  this  young  gentleman  a  Catholic,  and  as 
my  success  has  not  been  very  flattering  I  am 
disposed  to  hand  him  over  to  you.  He  is  a  good 
scholar,  and  could  easily  read  the  fathers  of  the 
church." 

"Yes,"  said  the  old  man,  "very  good  reading. 
But  you  don't  want  to  be  a  priest,  do  you,  Mr. 
Melville  ?  " 

"  Not  exactly,  sir,"-replied  Melville,  haughtily. 

"  No,"  said  the  other.    "  Then,  I  think  the  little 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  233 

catechism  would  be  better  than  the  fathers.  Do 
you  know  anything  about  us,  Mr.  Melville?" 

"Something,"  returned  Melville,  Avith  startling 
bitterness.  "I  know  that  you  have  rendered  me 
hopelessly  miserable,  by  depriving  me  of  a  bless. 
ing  that  I  might  now  enjoy,  but  for  the- heart 
less  tyranny  you  exercise  over  all  who  are  weak 
enough  to  admit  your  power." 

"Is  that  all  you  know?"  asked  the  priest. 

"  It  is  all  I  wish  to  know ! "  thundered1  Mel 
ville,  incensed  at  his  antagonist's  calmness. 
"  Have  you  a  right  to  plunge  two,  who  love 
each  other,  into  an  abyss  of  despair  that  the 
predilections  of  the  pope  maybe  gratified?  I 
•tell  you,  sir,  that  all  the  bishops  in  Christendom 
cannot  love  as  I  do  that  sweet  victim  of  their 
superstition  ! " 

"  You  do  seem  to  be  quite  in  love,"  s^aid  the 
priest. 

"  Had  you  a  right,"  continued  Melville,  "  to 
dissuade  her  from  marrying  me  because  I  was 
not  in  your  communion  ?  Have  I  ever  done  any 
thing  unbecoming  a  man  or  a  Christian  ?  Am 
I  not  as  honest  as  thousands  Avho  seek  your  con 
fessional?" 

"  These  question's  are  rather  hard  to  answer," 
began  the  other  with  a  smile.  "I  believe  you 
are  a  very  good  man,  though  you  are  in  a  sad 


234  LORETTO;    OE,    THE    CHOICE. 

passion  now.  I  claim  a  right  to  advise  in  all 
these  cases,  and  hold  myself  accountable  to  God 
alone.  I  have  been  accused  of  beino;  a  match- 

O 

maker,  but  this  is  the  first  time  I  have  be,en  up 
braided  as  a  match-breaker." 

"You  mean  to  sny,  sir,"  answered  Melville, 
"  that  you  never  had  so  much  reason  to  save  a 
young  lady  from  such  a  villain  as  I ! " 

"I  mean  to  say  nothing  of  the  kind.  How  do 
I  know  whether  you  are  a  villain  or  not  ?  All 
I  know  is  that  you  are  not  a  Christian,  and  that 
Lei  is  too  good  for  any  heathen  on  the  face  of 
the  earth." 

"  She  is  indeed,"  muttered  Melville,  white 
with  rage.  "If  your  persecution  were  confined 
to  me  alone,  I  could  endure  it,  and  console  my 
self  with  despising  you.  But  are  you  not  well 
aware  that  you  are  exacting  a  sacrifice  from  her 
which  must  be  fatal  to  her  happiness. 

The  old  man  smiling  in  his  face,  replied :  — 

"  Don't  you  think  she  can  live  without  you?" 
so  innocently,  that  Mr.  Almy  laughed  outright. 

Goaded  to  madness,  Melville  turned  on  Mr. 
Almy,  gasping  between  his  teeth,  "  I  little  ex 
pected  to  be  mocked  by  you^ 

The  significant  emphasis  of  you  brought  a 
deep  blush  to  Mr.  Almy's  cheek,  and  he  shaded 
his  eyes  with  his  hand. 


LORETTO  J   OR,    THE    CHOICE.  235 

"Gentlemen,"  continued  Melville,  rising,  "if 
you  expect  to  make  a  convert  of  me  by  practis 
ing  upon  my  love  you  are  sadly  mistaken.  The 
game  you  are  playing  may  break  my  heart,  but 
it  shall  never  make  me  the  hypocritical  proselyte 
of  a  faith  I  despise." 

So  saying  he  left  the  room,  followed  by  Ga 
briel.  He  went  to  his  bedroom,  and,  trembling 
in  every  limb,  threw  himself  on  a  chair.  An 
even  temper  like  his,  when  fully  roused,  is  ter 
rible;  his  lips  were  white  as  death,  while  his 
cheeks  and  forehead  burned  like  fire.  Lei  would 
not  have  known  him  as  he  sat  there,  glaying  at 
the  candle  with  a  steady  glazed  eye. 

"They  shall  find,"  he  said,  clenching  his  hand, 
"that  I  am  not  a  lump  of  mere  dough  to  be 
moulded  according  to  the  whim  of  a  weak-minded 
girl,  or  a  cold,  calculating  priest.  'And  then,  to 
be  laughed  at !  By  heaven,  they  shall  see  that 
my  patience,  like  my  fortune,  has  an  end !  " 

"  He  felt  a  hand  laid  on  his  shoulder ;  it  was 
Gabriel's. 

"  Have  you  too  come,"  he  shouted,  springing  to 
his  feet.  "  Have  you  followed  me  here  to  heap 
insult  on  insult,  and  gloat  over  the  shame  of  an 
injured  man?  Leave  me!"  and,  seizing  the 
youth  by  the  throat,  he  strove  to  hurl  him 
against  the  wall. 


236  LOKETTO  ;   OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

Melville  was  a  man  of  great  strength,  and  the 
quivering  sinews  rose  like  whip-cords  in  his  arms. 
But  witli  all  his  power,  doubled  by  nervous  ex 
citement,  and  put  forth  to  the  utmost,  he  could 
4iot  force  that  pale  youth  an  inch  from  his  place, 
or  wrench  that  white  hand  from  his  shoulder. 

Gabriel  was  another  being.  As  a  storm 
gathers  in  the  sky,  which  lias  been  tranquil  all 
the  summer,  instead  of  that  sweet,  unchanging 
smile  there  was  a  withering  frown,  before  winch 
the  boldest  might  tremble.  Melville  quailed 
under  his  indimiant  eve. 

O  *f 

%"  You  make  me  blush  for  you,"  said  Gabriel, 
turning  away  from  him.  "  Be  calm  !  " 

"Calm!"  echoed  Melville,  with  a  harsh  laugh. 
"  Did  you  not  see  how  that  hoary  old  badger 
exulted  over  the  wreck  of  the  life  which  he  has 
blighted?  Did  you  not  hear  him  call  me  a  vil 
lain,  and  did  you  not  hear  that  thankless  mer 
chant,  for  whom  I  have  offered  up  my  last  cent, 
and  for  whom  I  would  have  staked  my  life  — 
did  you  not  hear  him  —  Mr.  Almy;  her  father, 
applaud  his  deliberate  malice  with  a  fiendish 
laugh?" 

"  Xo,  said  Gabriel,  his  breast  heaving  as  he 
spoke.  "But  I  heard  you,  without  cause  or  prov 
ocation,  insult  a  feeble  old  man,  too  wise  and 
too  weak  to  resent  your  abuse !  I  heard  you, 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE   CHOICE.  237 

without  cause  or  provocation,  turn  against  a 
friend  and  upbraid  him  for  receiving  a  favor 
which  you  have  cancelled  by  this  untimely  and 
ungenerous  boasting.  If  you  have  a  spark  of 
manliness  left  you  should  go  down  on  your 
knees  and  beg  pardon  of  that  old  man,  whose 
heart  is  full  of  love  for  you,  and  of  that  friend 
who  would  have  done  as  much  or  more  for  you 
without  making  it  a  reproach  and  a  theme  of 
self-glorification !  " 

Melville  resumed  his  seat  and  leaned  his  head 
on  the  table.  As  Gabriel  watched  him  the 
frown  vanished,  the  smile  returned.  Melville 
held  his  hand  over  his  eyes;  presently  he 
stretched  it  out  to  Gabriel,  who  pressed  it  be 
tween  both  of  his — it  was  covered  with  tears. 

"  Come  closer  to  me !  "  said  Melville. 

The  smile  on  that  strange  being's  face  bright 
ened  as  he  advanced,  and  with  feminine  tender 
ness  threw  his  arm  around  the  mourner's  neck. 
Melville  caught  the  pale  stripling  to  his  breast, 
and,  as  he  did  so,  a  load  of  sorrow  seemed  to 
glide  from  his  heart,  and  he  wept  like  a  repent 
ant  boy.  Happy  are  those  who  have  a  friend  in 
whose  arms  they  can  indulge,  -without  fear  or 
shame,  the  outpouring  of  a  wounded  soul,  through 
whom  the  torrent  of  grief  can  pass  away,  which 
must  else  ravage  the  breast  within  which  it  is 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

bound !  Then  an  hour  suffices  to  dismiss  the 
agony  which  years  could  not  conquer ;  and  after 
ward  the  rainbow  conies,  and  the  sun  of  promise 
breaks  forth,  and  the  drops  that  have  fallen  turn 
to  verdure  and  flowers  !  But  one  has  seen  the 
storm,  and  all  may  see  the  sunshine  and  wonder 
how  it  can  be  so.  Such  friends  are  few,  but 
Gabriel  was  one  of  them. 

Melville  turned  from  Gabriel  to  his  dear  piano, 
which  was  consecrated  by  all  the  blessed  past ; 
he  thought  that  Lcl  sat  there  and  watched  him. 

O 

He  drew  her  medal  from  his  breast  and  kissed  it ; 
then  kneeling  for  the  first  time,  lie  remembered 
his  promise,  he  repeated  aloud ,  — 

"  Oh  Mary,  conceived  without  sin,  pray  for  us 
who  have  recourse  to  thec  !  " 

When  he  rose  he  hesitated  for  an  instant  —  it 
was  but  an  instant  —  with  his  hand  on  the  door, 
then  disappeared. 

The  old  man  had  risen  to  go,  his  hat  in  one 
hand,  his  cane  in  the  other.  His  small  gray  eyes 

began  to  twinkle  as  Melville  introduced  himself 

» 

evidently  with  peaceful  purposes. 

"  I  recall  all  that  I  have  said — I  knew  not 
what  I  was  saying,"  said  Melville,  pronouncing  the 
words  with  difficulty.  "I  have  played  but  a  poor 
part  before  you,  and  beg  you  to  forgive  me  and 
pray  for  me." 


LOEETTO  J    OE,    THE    CHOICE.  239 

Those  small  gray  eyes  began  to  twinkle  more 
and  more ;  perhaps  a  slight  film  overspread 
them.  He  put  down  his  hat,  then  his  cane  on 
top  of  it,  and  extending  both  arms,  shook  Mel 
ville's  hands  warmly  in  his. 

"My  dear  friend,"  he  said,  "I  forgive  yon  and 
•will  continue  to  pray  for  you.  You  have  lost  a 
treasure  which  I  am  glad  to  see  you  prize,  and  I 
confess  that  I  am  in  part  responsible  for  the 
loss.  I  am  not  surprised  that  you  do  not  rank 
me  amongst  your  friends,  after  an  act  of  duty} 
which  may  well  provoke  one  so  uninstructed  as 
you  are  in  the  first  principles  of  our  holy  faith. 
Do  come  and  see  me.  I  will  tell  you  all  I  know 
about  the  church  which  Lei  has  joined.  Good 
night" —  he  took  his  hat  and  cane,  "Good-night; 
God  bless  you ;  good-night,  Mr.  Almy."  And  so 
this  simple,  pious  man  took  leave  of  our  two 
friends. 

They  sat  together  in  silence,  which  Melville 
first  interrupted. 

"Almy,  I  am  a  love-sick  fool,  and  -you  must 
treat  me  as  you  would  a  spoiled  child.  But  tell 
me  one  thing,  do  you  approve  of  the  stand  which 
Lei  has  taken  against  me?" 

"I  think  she  is  right,"  replied  Mr.  Almy. 
"You  must  be  well  aware  that  there  is  no  one  to 
whom  I  would  so  gladly  yield  my  daughter  as  to 


240  LORETTO  J    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

you.  But  I  have  experienced  myself  that  com 
plete  confidence,  without  which  married  life  is 
always  more  or  less  painful,  cannot  exist  unless 
the  parties  practise  the  same  faith.  Men  may 
talk  as  they  please  about  common  interests, 
tastes,  and  affinities,  but  a  common  religion  is  the 
only  enduring  tie.  So  much  for  opinion.  But 
our  church  refuses  her  blessing  to  a  mixed  mar 
riage,  and  I  should  be  sorry  to  see  Lei  make  any 
contract  without  her  benediction." 

"  It  is  hard,  it  is  hard,"  mused  Melville. 

"I  know  it  is  ;  hard  for  you  and  hard  for  us 
all ;  but  let  ns  wear  the  badge  of  sorrow  cheer 
fully.  Since  I  have  been  a  Catholic  I  have  en 
joyed  a  peace  of  mind  of  which  you  have  no 
conception,  and  of  which  I-  had  none.  Believe 
me,  Melville,  that  Young,  Shelley,  and  a  host  of 
others  were  groping  after  the  Catholicity  which 
the  Schlegels  found,  and  which  Goethe  was  too 
proud,  Walter  Scott  too  timid  to  profess.  The 
Catholic  Church,  in  her  unchanging  grandeur,  is 
worth  any  man's  notice,  and  I  recommend  her  to 
your  careful  study." 

Melville  was  too  much  excited  to  sleep.  Lei's 
happiness  afflicted  him.  He  wished  her  misera 
ble  to  convince  him  of  her  love.  Yet  what 
could  make  her  happy  ?  Had  Catholicity  a 
recompense  for  every  sacrifice  it  asked?  He 


LORETTO  J    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  241 

thought  of  the  change  in  Mr.  Almy;  of  the 
change  in  his  face;  of  his  abstinence  from  old 
Schiedam  ;  of  his  tranquil  resignation.  What 
had  produced  it  ?  He  thought  of  Agnes,  as  lie 
-first  saw  her,  and  as  she  left  him ;  of  that  strangely 
beautiful  expression,  so  different  from  all  he  had 
ever  seen  or  fancied.  Whence  did  she  obtain  it? 
He  thought  of  Lei's  heroic  self-denial.  Was  it 
sheer  fanaticism  ? 

With  these  questions  he  easily  kept  himself 
awake  for  hours,  and  then  went  to  sleep,  de 
termining  to  find  out  what  Agnes  meant  by  the 
practice  of  her  religion,  and  what  Thomas  il 
Kempis  had  to  say  in  the  chapter  on  Nature 
and  Grace. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

RTJR  story  has  reached  that  placid  point 
when  a  year  may  be  skipped  without 
our  missing  much  incident.  Agnes  is  a 
pious  novice,  Lei  a  sweet  country  girl,  Mr.  Almy 
is  regaining  his  mercantile  importance.  His  fel 
low-merchants  had  been  civil  so  long  as  he  needed 
their  assistance,  and  were  courteous  when  he  did 
not.  They  could  not  but  respect  the  industry, 


242  LORETTO  ;   OK,   THE   CHOICE. 

honesty,  and  ability  which  had  almost  restored 
him  to  his  former  position.  It  requires  much  to 
reach  the  point  from  which  Mr.  Almy  had  fallen ; 
it  requires  much  moi'e  to  regain  it.  But  this 
accomplished  merchant  had  a  fund  of  dauntless 
energy  which  astonished  even  those  who  were 
best  acquainted  Avith  his  resources.  No  one 
could  tell  how  he  managed  to  rise  so  rapidly,  but 
rise  he  did  ;  and  if  Catholicity  made  the  ascent 
more  rugged,  she  doubled  his  strength,  thus 
lightening  the  task. 

o  o 

Must  we  see  how  Melville  studied  Catholicity? 
The  converts  to  our  faith,  who  publish  neat  little 
treatises  or  sweet  little  novels,  the  fruits  of  their 
experience,  are  perhaps  surprised  that  the  rea 
sons,  so  convincing  to  them,  are  so  unsatisfactory 
to  others.  Do  they  ever  remember  that  the 
grace  of  God  came  in  some  silent,  unrecorded 
moment  of  humility  and  contrition,  and  that  their 
good  intentions  availed  quite  as  much  as  their 
theological  researches. 

We  have  seen,  in  the  passage  at  arms  with 
Mrs.  Hoity,  that  Melville  lost  his  first  chance  of 
being  a  fashionable  practitioner.  It  did  not 
grieve  him  much ;  he  had  never  respected  the 
illiterate,  ill-bred,  low-born,  purse-proud  aristo 
cracy  of  his  native  city,  and  was  glad  of  an  op 
portunity  to  meet  poverty  at  home. 


LORETTO;   OR,    THE    CHOICE.  243 

He  might  have  been  seen  one  winter  night, 
when  Mr.  Almy  was  in  bed,  seated  before  his 
office  table,  on  which  medical  books  and  con 
troversial  works  were  piled  alternately,  like  the 
spots  on  a  chess-board.  Melville  had  long  been 
a  free-thinker,  and  the  prejudices  of  a  lifetime 
are  not  easily  eradicated.  Affluence  and  happi 
ness  are-  very  favorable  to  skepticism,  and  infi 
delity  had  laid  a  strong  hold  on  him.  Xor  must 
we  suppose,  from  his  reconciliation  with  the 
priest,  that  he  was  disposed  to  accept  his  kind 
offer  of  instruction.  Having  sufficient  pride  of 
intellect  and  some  common  sense,  that  most 
uncommon  of  all  the  senses,  he  had  purchased 
quite  a  theological  library,  in  which  he  was 
far  enough  advanced  to  admit  a  revelation ; 
still  considering  himself  the  infallible  inter 
preter. 

'  He  was  pursuing  a  treatise  on  the  sufficiency 
of  private  judgment  when  the  bell  rang.  A 
little  girl,  poorly  clad,  was  at  the  door. 

"  Is  your  mother  worse  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir  ;  father  says  she  is  dying." 

Melville  took  his  hat  and  followed  her  to  a 
small  frame  house  in  an  alley.  He  found  the 
poor  woman  suffering  from  extreme  nervous 
excitement  after  morphine.  Having  done  all  lie 
could  to  calm  her,  he  directed  that  the  utmost 


244  LORETTO  J   OB,    THE   CHOICE. 

silence  should  be  observed,  as  the  least  agitation 
would  be  fatal. 

The  little  girl  whispered  to  her  father,  "there's 
Father  John  at  the  door." 

"Thank  God!"  muttered  that  honest  Irish 
man,  whose  faith  was  worthy  of  the  isle  that 
nursed  him.  Melville's  ejaculation  was  slightly 
different.  He  stepped  into  the  front  room  to 
meet  Father  John ;  and  Father  John  was  no 
other  than  our  friend,  the  diminutive  old  priest. 

"  You  cannot  see  her,"  whispered  Melville. 

"  Why  not  ?  " 

"  Because  the  least  excitement  will  kill  her." 

"Excitement,"  said  the  priest,  "I  am  going 
to  compose,  not  to  excite  her." 

"I  have  often  witnessed,"  returned  Melville, 
"  the  composing  effect  of  religious  ceremony  on 
the  sick  ;  it  is  too  apt  to  compose  them  into  the 
sleep  of  death." 

"  Have  you  ever  known  in  your  experience, 
Mr.  Melville,  a  patient  of  yours  injuriously  agi 
tated  by  the  presence  of  a  Catholic  priest?" 

"Never,"  replied  Melville,  after  a  pause. 
"But  if  other  ministers  disturb,  I  do  not  see 
how  you  can  fail  to  annoy." 

"  We  will  talk  about  that  another  time,"  and, 
with  this,  he  was  about  to  enter  the  chamber 
when  Melville  interposed. 


LORETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE.  245 

"Pier  life  is  hanging  now  by  a  thread,"  lie 
muttered;  "will  you  insist  on  depriving  her  of 
her  only  chance  —  perfect  quiet?" 

"  She  has  been  a  pious  woman,"  said  Father 
John,  his  eyes  flashing  as  he  spoke,  "  and  if  her 
life  is  hanging  by  a  thread  she  shall  have  ex 
treme  unction." 

"Ay,  that  she  shall,"  interposed  the  husband, 
who,  overhearing  the  conversation,  suddenly 
presented  himself.  "  She  shall  have  it  in  spite 
of  all  the  doctors  on  earth ;  "  and  darting  a  ter 
rible  look  at  Melville  as  he  spoke,  the  brawny 
laborer  clenched  his  hands  until  his  finger  nails 
were  buried  in  the  palms.  Melville,  then  more 
alarmed  for  his  patient's  sake  at  the  prospect  of 
a  fray,  resigned  himself  to  the  worst. 

He  saw  that  poor  woman's  face  lose  its  an 
guish  as  her  confessor  bent  over  her  ;  he  saw  the 
oil  applied,  he  saw  her  lips  moving  in  prayer. 
When  the  rite  was  concluded,  he  felt  her  pulse, 
the  nervousness  had  decreased,  and  before  an 
hour  she  was  asleep.  And  the  good  priest  smiled 
to  Melville  and  walked  away  with  him,  arm  in 
arm. 

From  this  moment  his  intimacy  with  Father 
John  began  ;  and  before  long  he  was  called  upon 
to  witness  many  such  scenes.  The  arguments 
for  Catholicity  are  scattered  thick  around  us, 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

not  only  in  books,  but  in  everyday  life ;  and  a 
physician,  whose  walks  are  amongst  the  lower 
classes,  is  surely  the  last  who  can  put  in  the 
plea  of  invincible  ignorance.  When  we  behold 
so  many  Catholics  neglecting  their  religion,  and 
living  year  after  year  out  of  the  church,  we  are 
disposed  to  think  that  others  are  kept  from  join 
ing  her  rather  from  love  of  sin  than  want  of 
knowledge.  And  with  this  remark  we  leave 
Melville  in  the  hands  of  Father  John  instead  of 
multiplying  or  repeating  reasons,  as  if  it  were 
strange  that  men  become  Catholics,  and  quite 
natural  that  they  do  not. 

But  Melville  was  rising  in  his  profession,  and 
already  his  skill  in  surgery  was  mentioned  hon 
orably  in  the  first  circles.  He  had  only  to  give 
up  the  Catholic  Almys  and  take  a  seat  at  the 
top  of  the  ladder.  Or,  even  with  the  Almys,  for 
the  royal  merchant  was  emerging  from  the  cloud, 
it  might  be  done  if  he  avoided  poor  practice.  In 
spite  of  all  these  allurements,  the  young  man 
was  blockhead  enough  never  to  refuse  the  peti 
tion  of  poverty,  no  matter  how  dangerous,  how 
unprofitable  ;  and  this  "  grovelling  propensity" 
as  Mrs.  Hoity  defined  his  charity,  threw  a 
singular  light  upon  his  theological  researches. 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE  247 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 


had  been  nearly  two  years  in  the 
convent  ;  and  for  t\vo  years,  Mrs.  Cleve 
land,  Lei,  and   the   Colonel  have  con 
tinued  to  visit  the  young  novice  once  a  week. 

Lei  and  Melville  had  not  met  since  that 
morning  when  the  red  flag  was  waving  from  her 
window.  But  she  had  seen  her  father  often  — 
he  had  spent  whole  weeks  with  her  —  delicious 
weeks  of  rambling,  and  riding,  and  love,  and 
joy.  The  expression  he  ought  to  have  was 
indelibly  stamped  upon  his  face,  and  a  few  days 
in  the  country  always  brought  it  out  in  such 
perfection  that  she  begged  him  to  close  his 
counting-room  and  turn  farmer. 

During  her  walks,  she  had  noticed  the  pro 
gress  of  a  new  dwelling-house,  built  of  good, 
solid  logs,  handsomely  weather-boarded.  She 
heard  that  a  rich  gentleman  from  town  was 
going  to  live  in  it,  and  she  often  wished  that 
her  father  had  such  a  home  ;  for  when  fin 
ished  it  looked  so  neat  and  pretty,  with  its  white 
walls  glancing  through  the  cherry-trees  around 
it.  And  from  the  porch,  which  fronted  the 
south,  a  broad,  rich  meadow  swept  down  to  a 
green  strip  of  woodland  ;  and  above  the  tree- 


248  LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

tops,  on  the  hills  beyond,  the  yellow  grain  was 
waving;  and  looking  to  the  west,  you  could 
see  the  sunset  in  the  gap  of  the  mountains,  and 
the  sun  lingered  longest  there,  and  the  after 
glow  too.  The  convent  was  not  in  sight,  yet  it 
was  a  beautiful  place  —  the  very  place  Lei  would 
have  chosen  for  her  father. 

And  near  it  was  her  favorite  retreat,  where 
the  running  stream  had  formed  a  deep  pool 
under  the  roots  of  gigantic  trees.  It  Avas  a 

o  o 

lovely  spot,  so  shady,  so  cool,  so  still.  There  on 
the  grassy  knoll,  watching  the  motionless  water- 
lilies,  or  reading,  or  singing,  or  rolling  smooth 
white  pebbles  into  the  clear  basin,  she  seemed 
to  be  apart  from  the  rest  of  the  world. 

She  was  sitting  there  one  summer  afternoon, 
thinking  of  Agnes,  who  was  to  take  the  vows  on 
that  day  week.  Absorbed  in  thought,  she  knew 
not  that  any  human  eye  was  on  her  —  she  knew 
not  that  a  man,  tearful  and  smiling,  was  standing 
close  behind  her,  watching  her  as  she  twisted 
the  long  grass  between  her  fingers,  —  watching 
her  golden  hair  as  it  floated  in  the  wind.  She 
knew  not  that  the  moment  of  all  others  had 
come,  that  in  another  instant  the  bright  hopes 
of  her  youth,  which  had  faded,  were  to  be 
revived;  that  her  prayer  had  been  heard, 
that 


LORETTO  J    OK,    THE    CHOICE.  249 

She  heard  her  name  pronounced  by  a  voice 
that  made  her  tremble,  and,  turning  as  she 
started  to  her  feet,  saw  George  Melville  before 
her !  He  took  her  cold  hand  and  pressed  it  to 
his  lips. 

"  I  am  a  Catholic,  Lei,"  was  all  he  said  ;  and 
they  knelt  together  on  that  green  grass  and 
thanked  the  God  who  had  been  so  good  to  them. 

And  a  moment  after  that  prayer  of  thanks 
giving —  it  seemed  but  a  moment  —  she  found 
herself  in  the  parlor  of  that  new  house,  pressed 
to  her  father's  heart.  What!  could  it  be!  Her 
own  dear,  long-lost  piano!  She  flew  to  it  —  the 
lid  was  raised.  One  chord! — her  heart  gave 
Avay,  and,  leaning  forward,  she  wept  with,  her 
face  buried  in  her  arms. 

They  went  to  Loretto  to  spend  the  night,  and 
the  Colonel,  though  a  little  jealous  of  Melville, 
was  the  happiest  of  mortal  men,  alternately 
laa&hing,  crving,  and  coughing,  until  Mr.  Almy 

O  O 7  *  O '  J 

suspected  his  sanity.  Mrs.  Cleveland  testified 
her  pleasure  by  a  blessing  full  of  tenderness  and 
love.  And  that  evening,  whilst  the  Colonel  was 
chatting  with  Almy,  Lei  learned  from  Melville 
how  her  medal,  Gabriel,  and  Father  John  had 
conquered  his  stubbornness,  —  how  he  had  been 
to  confession  and  received  absolution,  and  how 
lie  was  permitted  to  make  his  first  communion 


250  LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

with  her.  He  told  her  that  her  father  had 
returned  him  more  than  half  his  advances,  and 
had  bought  the  farm  and  built  the  house,  which 
he  had  rented,  and  which  Lei  was  to  name; 
that  he  had  given  up  his  practice  in  the  city,  to 
spend  the  rest  of  his  life,  if  it  were  the  will  of 
heaven,  under  the  shadow  of  those  blue  moun 
tains. 

And  on  the  porch,  between  those  pillars  that 
could  tell  of  so  much  joy  and  pain,  it  was 
ordained  by  our  little  group  of  friends  that 
Melville  should  make  his  first  communion  at  the 
convent  chapel  on  the  morning  Agnes  took  the 
TOWS,  and  that,  after  communion,  a  marriage 
should  be  solemnized  between  George  Melville 
and  a  certain  Ellen  Almy. 

"  So,  Lei,"  said  the  Colonel,  "  it  has  come  to 
this.  You  are  going  to  give  up  the  old  man 
who  has  loved  you  so  long  for  that  young  scape 
grace  ! " 

"And  am  I  not  serving  you  right?"  replied 
Lei.  "  Did  you  not  know  perfectly  well  that 
father  was  building  that  new  house,  and  that  he 
would  be  here  to-day;  and  did  you  not  tell 
George  Melville  where  to  find  me ;  and  did  you 
not  thus  permit  me  to  be  surprised  into  saying 
all  sorts  of  foolish  things  to  him  ;  and  after  this, 
are  you  not  a  deceitful  old  dear,  not  fit  to  be 
trusted  ? 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  251 

"Ah,  Melville,  Melville,"  sighed  the  Colonel, 
"  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  I  pity  you  !  With 
a  tongue  so  keen  now,  what  will  it  be  when 
sharpened  on  the  matrimonial  strap?" 

"  Blunt !  "  cried  Mr.  Almy,  "  if  the  strap  is  of 
the  right  sort." 

And  thus,  after  the  first  deep  calm  and  silence 
of  reunion,  the  evening  passed  playfully  away ; 
though  under  all  those  glittering  bubbles  there 
was  a  strong  current  of  deep  feeling.  For  how 
could  they  help  recalling  that  Avinter  night, 
when  the  sleigh  stopped  at  the  gate,  and  the 
bright  Christmas  morning  that  followed,  and  the 
long,  sweet  evenings  spent  around  the  crackling 
Avood-fire;  and  all  the  changes  Avhich  had  come 
to  pass  since  then  !  And  how  could  they  help 
thinking  of  Agnes,  Avho  was  no  longer  there, 
Avith  her  long  dark  hair,  and  white  temples,  and 
calm,  deep,  powerful  eye. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

HE  carriage  driven  by  Charlie  had  left 
Loretto ;  the  convent  bells   were  ring 
ing  for  early  mass,  and  Mr.  Almy  saw 
Agnes ! 

As  if  it  were  a  dream,  she  advanced  from  the 


252  LORETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE. 

Sisters  and  repeated  the  words  which  were  to 
bind  her  to  God.  Oh  God,  how  beautiful  must 
the  soul  be  when  entering  heaven !  The  plain 
est  face  Avhen  lit  with  sanctity  is  sublime,  and 
prince  and  peasant  bow  down  before  it,  or  if 
they  smile,  it  is  in  envy.  Xo  rouge  shall  ever 
tinge  thy  pale  cheek,  Sister  Agnes ;  no  ring 
shall  ever  glitter  on  thy  white  hand ;  thy  hair 
shall  never  be  entwined  into  lockets ;  thy  foot 
shall  never  twinkle  in  the  dance !  Thou  art  the 
child  of  God,  Sister  Agnes !  And  who  will  dare 
to  claim  thee  for  the  world  as  thou  kneelest  there 
before  the  altar,  or  say  that  thou  wert  made  for 
man  ?  Who  would  snatch  thee  hence,  thou  young 
companion  of  the  angels,  as  if  thou  were  to  be 
pitied  and  saved  ?  There  is  the  likeness  to  God, 
which  the  children  of  earth  have  lost,  and  who 
would  bid  it  vanish  ? 

As  if  it  were  a  dream,  Lei  and  Melville  ad 
vanced.  They  too  had  made  their  choice  and 
taken  their  vows.  AH  had  been  to  communion 
except  the  Colonel !  A  pang  went  through  his 
heart;  he  thought  of  his  innocent  youth;  his 
sister  was  next  him  in  prayer,  his  niece,  just 
consecrated  to  heaven  before  him ;  a  young  in 
fidel  knelt  reclaimed  and  regenerated  at  his  side! 
Tears  of  shame  burned  on  his  cheeks;  he  felt 
separated  from  all  he  loved  by  a  terrible  abyss. 


LOKETTO;   OK,    THE    CHOICE.  253 

Repent,  old  man,  thy  heart  is  true,  and  kind,  and 
warm  ;  repent  whilst  them  hast  time  !  As  the 
Colonel  raised  his  eyes  he  saw  a  stranger  on  his 
left ;  it  was  Gabriel. 

Silently  they  returned  to  Loretto ;  not  a  word 
was  spoken,  unless  to  welcome  Gabriel,  when  he 
unexpectedly  appeared  at  the  church  door  to 
salute  the -bride.  The  day  would  have  hung 
heavily  had  it  not  been  for  Gabriel.  This 
strange  being  laughed  and  sang  as  he  rode 
aloiif,  whilst  the  rest  were  in  tears ;  he  did 

O'  * 

not  seem  to  comprehend  or  to  share  their  de 
pression.  And  when  they  reached  Loretto  his 
face  beamed  so  brightly,  and  there  was  such 
contagion  in  his  smile,  that  even  the  Colonel's 
brow  relaxed. 

The  afternoon  was  spent  in  receiving  the  con 
gratulations  and  presents  of  the  neighborhood ; 
presents  which  Lei,  provided  by  the  Colonel's 
foresight,  was  able  to  return  with  interest. 

When  the  sun  was  setting  in  the  gap  of  the 
mountains  they  might  all  have  been  seen  on  the 
porch  of  the  new  house.  A  table  was  spread  in 
the  dining-room  with  fruits  and  ices. 

"Come,  Lei,"  said  Mr.  Almy,  "it  is  time  to 
give  our  local  habitation  a  name." 

He  drew  a  decanter  from  the  cooler  and 
wiped  the  dew-drops  from  its  polished  surface. 


254  LORETTO;    OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

The  glasses  were  filled  and  quaffed  to  Mrs.  Mel 
ville. 

"N"ow  for  the  name,"  said  the  Colonel,  replen 
ishing  the  bride's  glass  and  his  own.  "Beat 
Loretto  if  you  can  ! " 

"I  cannot  beat  it,  uncle,"  replied  Lei;  "I 
should  be  glad  to  equal  it.  I  am  not  experienced 
in  giving  names;  and,  as  I  have  this  morning 
relinquished  my  own,  I  will  only  suggest  a 
name,  which  you  may  reject  or  adopt  at  pleas 
ure.  Shall  it  be  Mount  Gabriel!" 

*' MOUNT  GABRIEL!"  was  echoed  Avith  one 
accord  ;  and  Gabriel,  little  dreaming  that  he  was 
honored  in  the  name,  joined  in  the  applause  that 
hailed  the  selection,  and  drained  his  glass  with 
out  a  blush. 

After  a  sufficient  time  had  elapsed  to  admire 
the  name  which  Lei  had  chosen,  and  to  wish 
all  imaginable  peace  and  happiness  to  Mount 
Gabriel,  Melville,  pressing  a  fair  hand  that  was 
resting  in  his,  and  looking  at  Gabriel,  who  sat 
next  the  Colonel,  said,  with  a  full  heart  and 
brimming  eye :  — 

"  There  is  one  who  must  not  be  forgotten  to 
night,  and  but  for  whom  I  should  not  have  the 

O  ' 

treasure   I   now   possess.     Father  John !     May 
God  reward  that  blameless  priest !  " 
"  Charlie ! "  whispered  the  Colonel. 


LORETTO;   OR,    THE    CHOICE.  255 

The  boy  stooped  and  drew  a  black  bottle  from 
a  cooler,  which,  unnoticed  by  Mr.  Almy,  he  had 
placed  at  his  master's  side. 

"  I  kept  this  bottle  for  another  marriage," 
said  the  Colonel,  "  and  it  is  worthy  of  this. 
Forty  years  has  it  lain  in  my  cellar,  the  last 
representative  of  a  noble  stock.  I  have  looked 
upon  it  as  my  own  blood,  as  the  liquid  that  kept 
kept  me  alive ;  and  when  it  is  gone  I  know  that 
I  must  soon  follow.  However,  the  time  has 
come!  Charlie,  bring  the  glasses!" 

With  a  trembling  hand  the  old  man  inclined 
the  bottle  in  silence,  that  was  only  broken 'by 
the  gurgling  and  trickling  of  the  wine.  When 
every  glass  was  jewelled  to  the  rim,  he  rose  and 
leaned  upon  the  back  of  his  chair. 

"  I  kept  this  bottle  for  another  marriage,"  he 
began ;  "  it  cannot  fulfil  its  destiny.  Yet "  —  the 
glass  shook  and  ran  over  in  his  hand  —  "  yet  I 
have  kept  it  for  one,  and  to  her  must  it  still  be 
pledged.  I  propose  the  memory  of" 

"  SISTER  AGXES  ! "  said  Mr.  Almy,  as  the 
Colonel,  unable  to  utter  the  name,  applied  the 
glass  to  his  lips.  They  rose  in  silence  and  sym 
pathy  —  "Sister  Agnes  !  " 

Before  ten  o'clock  the  new  house  had  heard 
all  about  the  past,  and  began  to  feel  like  a  home: 
the  chairs  and  matting  looked  nearly  as  kind  and 


266  LORETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

knowing  as  the  old  piano,  which  gave  tone  to 
everything  around  it. 

"  Our  cup  of  happiness  is  full,"  said  Mr.  Almy, 
"  and  vou  might  search  the  earth  without  finding 

•I 

a  family  in  possession  of  that  peace  and  confi 
dence  we  now  enjoy.  But  there  is  one  to  whose 
happiness  ours  is  nothing.  Could  we  see  the 
heart  of  Sister  Agnes,  blessed  as  we  are,  we 
might  envy  her." 

He  was  right.  That  depression,  that  spiritual 
desolation  had  passed  away;  that  calm  delight 
and  loving  trust  had  come ;  the  aspirations  of 
her  young  soul  had  been  fulfilled,  ay,  more  than 
fulfilled  ;  she  was  sleeping  the  smiling  sleep  of 
baptismal  innocence  under  the  eye  of  God. 

"  What  an  argument  for  the  church  was  in  her 
face  this  morning,"  said  Melville.  "And  lam 
now  convinced,"  he  whispered  in  Lei's  ear,  "  that 
2  icas  seeking  Catholicity  when  I  sought  Agnes" 

The  Colonel  rose  to  go,  Gabriel  to  accompany 
him.  The  old  man  had  a  necklace  for  Lei,  more 
beautiful  than  the  first,  and  as  he  threw  it  around 
her  neck,  he  kissed  her  glowing  forehead. 

"  Is  she  not  a  daughter  to  be  proud  of,"  said 
Mr.  Almy,  drawing  her  to  his  side.  "  Oh,  my 
dear  Lei,  if  all  our  Catholic  girls  had  faith  and 
firmness  enough  to  follow  your  example ;  or,  if 
they  were  only  taught  to  prefer  an  humble  match 


LOEETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  257 

in  the  church  to  a  brilliant  alliance  out  of  it, 
how  much  misery  would  they  escape,  and  how 
many  a  precious  soul  be  saved  !  " 

Good-night !     The  Colonel  departed,  followed 
by  Charlie  and  Gabriel. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

R.  Almy  did  not  remain  long  in  posses 
sion  of  Mount  Gabriel.  Soon  after  her 
marriage  Lei  discovered  a  deed  in  her 
drawer,  making  her  absolute  mistress  of  the 
property. 

"  It  would  never  do,"  he  said,  "  for  me  to  be 
the  master  of  the  house  while  Melville  is  master 
of  you.  We  should  be  at  sixes  and  sevens  before 
many  months.  All  I  want  is  a  good  room  when 
I  come  to  see  you ;  for,  mind,  you'll  have  quite 
as  much  of  me  as  you  care  to  have." 

"  Upon  my  word,  sir,"  remonstrated  Melville, 
"our  calculation  was  to  have  you  always  with 
us." 

"And  we'll  have  more  fights  without  you  than 
with  you,  won't  we,  Melville?" 

"  God  bless  you  both ;  but  it  can't  be  yet. 
You  keep  the  country-house,  and  I'll  keep  the 


258      -  LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

town-house ;  give  me  your  winters  and  I'll  give 
you  my  summers,  or  as  much  of  them  as  I  can 
spare  from  business." 

"  Oh,  hang  business,  pa,  haven't  you  had 
enough  of  it,  and  money  enough,  too,  for  any 
sensible  man  ?  If  you  keep  on  with  business 
you'll  be  an  old  miser  yet." 

"  Well,  suppose  I  am,  if  it's  all  for  your  sake  ?  " 

"No  one  ever  makes  money  for  one's  own 
sake,"  said  Lei,  smiling.  "  It's  always  for  some 
body  else's  sake." 

Mr.  Almy  laughed,  and  took  her  hand. 

"You  may  live  to  see  me  a  rope-dancer  or  a 
politician,  but  you'll  never  live  to  see  me  a  miser. 
I'm  too  young  to  stop  business;  I  should  rust 
and  mope  here  amongst  your  milk  and  meadow?;, 
and  get  tired  even  of  your  mountains.  There's 
nothing  so  hard  on  an  old  merchant  as  the 
country  when  administered  in  large  doses.  Lit 
erary  men  can  stand  it ;  physicians  can  stand  it ; 
I  am  even  told  that  lawyers  can  sometimes  stand 
it ;  but  with  merchants  it's  invariably  fatal.  I 
never  knew  of  an  instance  to  the  contrary.  So  I 
don't  mean  to  make  a  mummy  of  myself,  even  for 
you  and  Melville." 

When  farther  pressed  by  Lei  alone  he  still 
held  his  ground. 

"  You  can  hardly  comprehend,"  he  would  say, 


LOEETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE.  259 

"  how  a  merchant  loves  his  house.  It  is  both  his 
mother  and  his  child ;  they  exist  only  through 
each  other.  We  have  been  through  ninny  a  gnle 
together ;  once,  as  you  know,  we  nearly  sank  ; 
but  we  are  having  smooth  seas  and  fine  winds 
now,  and  it  would  be  silly  to  give  up  the  ship 
just  as  the  promise  of  the  voyage  is  brightening. 
I  think  it  a  just  ambition  to  excel  in  any  honor 
able  career.  A  few  years  will  more  than  make 
my  house  what  it  was  before  —  you  sold  your 
piano.  And  then,  Lei,  if  I  were  to  turn  farmer 
now  it  would  puzzle  me  to  pay  off  Melville." 

"What  a  poor  excuse,  father,"  answered  Lei; 
"you  have  paid  him  nearly  all  as  it  is." 

"And  am  quite  able,  with  a  very  little  effort, 
to  pay  what  remains.  Suppose  he  were  to  turn 
out  a  ruffian,  and  beat  you  before  my  eyes ! 
How  could  I  ever  knock  him  down  with  a  clean 
conscience  if  I  owed  him  money?  Xo,  darling, 
I'm  not  saint  enough  to  owe  a  cent  to  a  son-in- 
law  when  I  have  it  in  my  power  to  stand  square. 
Xor  am  I  sinner  enough  ever  to  pain  you  by  fall 
ing  back  into  any  of  my  old  habits.  And  since 
Agnes  has  turned  nun  there's  little  danger  of  my 
ever  relapsing  into  married  lifb.  Are  you  satis 
fied  now,  or  do  you  still  doubt  me,  my  bright- 
eyed  unbeliever?" 

Lei  looked  very  sad  and  uncertain.     But  pros- 


260  LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

scntly  a  dreamy  light  stole  into  her  eyes  like  a 
melody  —  one  of  her  old  inspirations.  A  strange 
swift  smile  passed  over  her  face,  followed  by  a 
blush,  swift  and  strange  as  the  smile.  Both  blush 
and  smile  were  new  to  her  father. 

"  You  ought  to  know  best,"  she  said,  turning 
away,  "at  all  events  I  find  my  influence  over 
you  at  an  end." 

The  sharp  accent  on  my  was  unlike  Lei,  but 
Mr.  Almy  thought  no  more  of  it  at  the  time. 

And  so  the  autumn  parted  them.  Mr.  Almy 
took  rooms  in  town,  and  they  saw  no  more  of 
him  till"  Christmas.  He  was -a  week  with  them 
then,  but  more  or  less  restless  and  anxious  to  be 
back  at  his  desk.  He  was  doing  an  enormous 
and  prosperous  business.  Xo  one  knew  how  rich 
he  was,  but  the  knowing  ones  all  said  that  Almy 
was  making  money  very  fast.  He  certainly  spent 
it  very  fast,  for  almost  as  fast  as  he  made  it  it 
was  transferred  to  Lei.  Before  spring  he  had 
paid  off  all  his  obligations  to  Melville,  with  in 
terest.  Lei  could  scarcely  take  up  a  newspaper 
without  observing  some  allusion  to  his  prosperity 
and  public  charities.  But  instead  of  making  her 
happy  it  made  her  afraid.  She  had  long,  loving 
letters  from  him  once  or  twice  a  week,  but  it  did 
not  satisfy  her.  She  was  afraid  to  trust  him 
alone  in  the  world.  He  needed  daily  love  and 


LORETTO;   OE,   THE   CHOICE.  261 

care  and  domestic  beauty  to  fill  his  heart  and 
absorb  all  other  craving.  She  determined  to  see 
for  herself  ho\v  he  was  behaving,  and  spend  part 
of  the  winter  with  him  if  she  could  accomplish  it. 
It  was  a  little  difficult,  inasmuch  as  Melville,  hav 
ing  just  been  employed  as  physician  to  the  con 
vent,  could  not  well  accompany  her.  But,  as 
there  were  no  longer  any  secrets  between  them, 
he  would  accede  at  once  to  any  leave  of  absence 
she  might  ask. 

So  when  Mr.  Almy  paid  them  the  Christinas 
visit  it  happened  that  Lei  wanted  a  hundred 
things  from  town  which  she  had  never  thought 
of  before,  and  which  he  could  not  possibly  send  ; 
things  which  men  know  nothing  about,  and  which 

O  O  i 

women  only  are  competent  to  buy. 

"In  fact,"  she  said,  "although  you're  slow 
about  inviting  me,  pa,  I'll  run  down  with  you, 
for  a  week  or  so,  if  you'll  give  me  a  room  next 
yours  at  the  hotel." 

He  Avas  delighted,  as  every  father  is  whose 
daughter  leaves  her  husband  behind  to  go  off 
with  him,  and  they  went  away  together.  She 
was  happy,  too,  in  returning  more  distinctly  to 
the  old  sacred  relationship  again,  and  did  not  at 
all  reproach  herself,  for  being  a  spy  in  disguise. 
On  the  contrary,  she  consoled  herself  in  having 
made  many  important  discoveries.  He  was  even 


262  LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

richer  than  she  thought.  Some  bold  and  vast 
adventures  had  been  terribly  lucrative,  and 
made  him  more  than  ever  the  first  merchant  of 
the  city.  He  had  become,  for  the  first  time  in 
his  life,  very  fond  of  dress.  He  was  growing 
handsomer  as  he  grew  older.  He  kept  a  car 
riage  and  fast  horses.  He  saw  very  little  of 
Father  John.  His  apartments  were  superbly 
furnished ;  one  of  them  to  her  horror  was  a 
card-room. 

The  night  after  her  arrival  quite  a  number,  of 
her  father's  old  friends  came  dropping  in.  At 
first  she  thought  it  very  kind  of  them  to  call  on 
her  so  soon,  very  kind  indeed.  But  when,  after 
some  little  fidgeting  and  hesitancy,  the  card- 
table  was  brought  out,  and  she  found  herself 
gradually  forgotten  in  the  game,  her  eyes  were 
opened  to  the  true  state  of  the  case.  This 
scared  her  more  than  anything  else.  It  was  a 
new  feature.  He  had  never  cared  for  cards  be 
fore.  It  was  a  late  development  and  therefore  a 
dangerous  one.  Follies  at  his  age  are  fatal.  What 
was  to  be  done  ?  She  must  act  at  once,  now  or 
never.  Her  clear  duty  as  a  lady  was  to  retire 
forthwith,  and  leave  the  enemy  in  possession  of 
the  field.  It  was  evidently  expected  of  her —  she 
was  a  drag  on  the  game,  an  obstacle  to  all  honest 
betting.  Some  of  the  veterans  already  legan 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  263 

to  eye  her  viciously  and  exchange  winks.  Un 
fortunately  the  game  was  not  whist ;  it  was  a 
rapid,  five-card  game,  quite  new  to  her,  with 
what  they  called  a  "  pool "  in  the  middle.  It 
was  a  game  in  which  she  could  not  with  any 
propriety  ask  for  a  hand ;  it  was  not  by  any 
means  a  ladies'  game;  she  had  not  the  shadow 
of  an  excuse  for  staying.  But  stay  she  did,  in 
spite  of  sundry  imploring  glances  from  her 
father.  They  might  throw  her  out  of  the  win 
dow,  it  was  very  likely  they  would ;  but  she  would 
never  leave  by  the  door.  The  game  closed  at 
twelve  with  a  supper.  It  was  one  before  she  and 
Mr.  Almy  were  alone  with  each  other. 

"  Gracious  goodness,"  said  Lei,  "  do  you  mean 
to  keep  me  up  this  late  every  night?" 

"  Which  means,"  replied  Almy,  smiling,  "  that 
you  will  do  your  best  every  night  to  spoil  my 
card-party  ?  " 

"I  spoil  your  card-party,"  exclaimed  this 
young  innocent.  "  When  did  I  ever  spoil  any 
sport  of  yours  in  my  life  ?  It's  too  late  to  begin 
now.  If  your  friends  object  to  my  looking  on, 
I'll  find  some  other  way  to  amuse  myself;  but 
as  to  going  to  bed  before  you  in  this  big,  lonely 
house,  to  be  robbed  or  murdered,  I  won't  do  it. 
I'd  go  home  at  once  and  be  out  of  the  way  if 
the  dentist  was  only  done  with  me ! " 


264  LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

Mr.  Almy  laughed.  It  seethed  as  if  the  den 
tist  would  never  be  done  with  her,  so  many  of 
her  teeth  wanted  fixing. 

"  It's  no  laughing  matter,"  she  gravely  con 
tinued,  "  to  live  fifty  miles  away  from  a  decent 
dentist.  And  I  intend  having  my  mouth  put  in 
perfect  order  if  it  takes  a  year." 

She  was  trying  hard  to  be  very  angry;  but 
her  father  saw  through  the  whole  conspiracy. 
He  crossed  his  hands  and  laid  back  in  his  chair 
with  the  air.  of  a  man  resigning  himself  to  his 
fate. 

"  I  never  knew  the  day,"  he  said,  "  when  your 
mouth  was  not  in  perfect  order.  Kiss  me  and 
go  to  bed." 

"Good  night,  pa.  I  trust  that  I'll  not  be  in 
the  way  to-morrow  night." 

He  did  not  exactly  know  what  to  make  of  her. 
Would  she  leave  him  to  his  little  amusements  in 
peace,  and  retreat  in  offended  dignity  ?  It  was 
not  like  her.  She  most  probably  had  a  masked 
battery  somewhere  in  reserve.  But  what  would 
it  avail  her  against  his  banded  veterans  ?  They 
were  too  many  and  too  strong  for  her.  He  was 
determined  to  remain  neutral  and  keep  his  tem 
per  if  he  could.  It  was  very  impertinent  of  her 
to  interfere,  but  she  was  doing  it  for  his  own 
good.  A  man  could  not  stand  late  suppers  and 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  265 

late  play  forever.  But  when  one  is  obliged  to 
create  a  home  without  wife  or  child  after  one 
has  lived  long  with  both,  one  surely  has  a  right 
to  make  it  as  jolly  as  possible.  It  is  somewhat 
provoking  to  be  dictated  to  by  a  daughter  who 
is  having  her  own  way  in  her  own  house,  and 
who  is  jealously  averse  to  having  a  rich  father 
incline  to  anything  or  anybody  else.  But  he 
would  keep  his  temper  until  driven  to  the  Avail, 
and  then  bring  Lei  to  her  senses  with  a  word. 
Meanwhile  he  was  curious  to  see  how  she  would 
contrive  not  to  be  in  the  way  at  their  next  ses 
sion. 

After  dinner  the  next  day  they  went  to 
the  card-room  together.  Lei  begged  not  to  have 
the  gas  lit,  so  they  sat  and  talked  in  the  beauti 
ful  twilight  —  talked  over  old  times,  and  Mrs. 
Iloity,  and  Sister  Agnes,  until,  one  by  one,  the 
same  set  began  to  drop  in  and  the  room  was 
lighted.  Then,  for  the  first  time,  Mr.  Almy  ob 
served  an  addition  to  the  furniture.  Lei  had 
ordered  a  piano  on  trial ;  her  old  one  was  wear 
ing  out  at  last ;  Chickering's  grands  were  said 
to  be  so  much  better  than  hers.  It  was  a  noble 
instrument,  and  stood  pretty  well  out  in  the  room 
so  as  to  have  its  finger-board  well  under  the  ac 
tion  of  the  gasolier.  She  had  also  bought  a 
quantity  of  new  music  to  play  over  for  Melville, 


266  LORETTO;    OB,    THE    CHOICE. 

and  it  lay  menacingly  on  the  card-table.  But 
she  swept  it  away  as  soon  as  the  gentlemen  ap 
peared,  and,  after  exchanging  compliments  with 
them,  began  to  try  it  over  with  the  soft  pedal 
down.  She  had  kept  her  word,  and  found  some 
other  way  to  amuse  herself,  as  she  had  promised. 
This  was  her  masked  battery. 

She  touched  the  keys  very  lightly  at  first  — 
just  a  note  here  and  there  —  a  little  spirit  of 
melody  and  then  silence.  She  seemed  disposed 
to  respect  the  sanctity  of  their  game  ;  she  would 
doubtless  go  to  bed  soon.  But  two  of  the  prin 
cipal  players  were  two  of  her  oldest  adorers;  they 
had  petted  her  when  she  was  a  child,  and  made 
her  sing  and  play  for  them  as  soon  as  she  could 
strike  an  octave  or  turn  a  tune.  They  were  two 
bachelor  brothers,  very  fond  of  good  living  and 
good  music  —  very  fond  of  cards,  too,  subordin- 
ately.  Lei  remembered  perfectly  that  Sam,  the 
elder,  had  a  weakness  for  "  God  save  the  King." 
He  considered  "  God  save  the  King  "  the  great 
est  mortal  composition.  He  could  whistle  a 
light  opera  through  after  one  hearing,  but  he 
stuck  to  "  God  save  the  King "  for  all  that. 
After  trifling  with  her  new  music  an  hour  or 
more  she  threw  it  aside  and  began  to  improvise. 
She  began  a  very  long  way  from  the  English 
anthein,  but  Sam  instantly  pricked  up  his  ears  — 


LOKETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  267 

he  scented  the  melody  afar  off.  He  looked  once 
or  twice  askant  at  his  Brother  Barnard.  Now 
and  then  a  dreamy  suggestion  of  the  strain  came 
sweeping  by  in  a  swift,  smothered  minor,  and 
Sain  was  all  at  sea,  mistook  too  pairs  for  a  full, 
and  got  well  laughed  at  in  the  bargain  ;  but  Bar 
nard,  although  he  controlled  himself  better,  got 
nervous  too,  and  forgot  to  pass  the  knife  and 
anti,  much  to  the  disgust  of  several  ancient  gen 
tlemen  who  could  not  account  for  such  absurd 
behavior.  Presently,  however,  the  full  phrase  was 
enunciated,  and  Lei  carried  the  theme  straight 
and  simply  through  with  her  left  hand.  Then 
all  was  chaos  again,  with  a  vague  purpose  glim 
mering  through  it  —  with  only  a  feeble,  broken 
spiral  of  sunshine  on  the  troubled  waters.  And 
then  a  grand  let-there-be-light  prelude,  as  she 
swept  the  scale  with  both  hands,  lashing  the 
powerful  instrument  into  orchestral  fury,  and 
looking  herself  like  an  inspired  priestess  of  song. 
After  much  coughing  and  choking,  after  sev 
eral  suppressed  indications  of  joining  in  the  air, 
after  manifold  fatal  discardings,  and  serious 
losses,  Sam  threw  down  his  hand  and  burst  in 
with  the  words  at  the  top  of  his  voice.  They 
tried  to  stop  him,  but  it  was  no  use;  he  went 
through  to  the  end. 

The  veterans  were  indignant;  but  they  were 


268  LORETTO;    OR,   THE   CHOICE. 

gentlemen  of  the  old  school,  and  could  overlook 
a  single  indiscretion. 

"  It  shan't  occur  again,"  apologized  Sam ; 
"though  the  girl  plays  like  an  angel.  Play 
something  else,  Lei ;  keep  that  for  some  other 
time  ;  I  can  stand  anything  but  that." 

Barnard  said  nothing,  but  catching  Lei's  eye, 
winked  aside  at  her.  The  intimation  was  need 
less.  Lei  had  anticipated  his  desire.  He  was  as 
much  wrapped  up  in  "Annie  Laurie"  as  Sam  in 
"  God  save  the  King."  She  approached  the  air 
remotely.  Barnard's  ear  was  subtler  than  Sam's. 
She  tormented  him  with  hope  deferred,  long  be 
fore  any  of  the  others  suspected  what  she  was 
about.  He  was  tender-hearted,  and  the  tears 
were  in  his  eyes  every  now  and  then  as  if  he  had 
a  cold.  He  was  unmanned  long  before  she 
reached  the  air ;  his  hand  trembled  as  he  sipped 
his  whisky  and  water ;  his  voice  was  thin  and 
husky ;  he  finally  begged  them  to  go  on  without 
him,  and  went  and  sat  by  the  piano,  listening 
contentedly  to  the  beautiful  air,  and  looking  way 
back  through  the  mists  of  the  past  to  a  fond  face 
that  was  gone  forever;  to  the  white  hand  from 
which  he  had  taken  the  thin  gold  ring  still  worn 
on  his  finger. 

Supper  was  ordered  earlier  than  usual,  and 
did  not  last  as  long. 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  269 

"I  say,  Almy,"  mumbled  one  of  the  oldsters, 
at  parting,  "  we'll  have  to  drop  our  game  till 
your  nightingale  goes  back  to  her  mountains. 
There's  no  use  of  our  trying  to  play  against 
her." 

"  Nonsense,  man,"  said  Almy,  "  we'll  make 
these  silly  brothers  behave  themselves  better 
to-morrow." 

But  the  silly  brothers  could  not  be  coaxed  or 
bullied  into  behaving  any  better,  and  Lei  could 
not  be  induced  to  give  up  her  music. 

"I  must  do  something  to  amuse  myself,  or  I 
shall  die,"  she  said  to  her  father.  "But  you'll 
be  rid  of  me  as  soon  as  my  teeth  are  fixed." 

The  result  was  that  one  by  one  the  card-party 
diminished,  until  Sam  and  Barnard  were  the 
only  survivors. 

"Now,  pa,"  cried  Lei,  when  she  first  found 
thc-mselves  reduced  to  four,  "  let's  have  whist, 
and  I'll  bet  as  high  as  you  like." 

So,  ever  after  that,  as  long  as  Lei  stayed  in 
town  they  had  their  whist  and  music,  instead  of 
bluff  and  supper,  and  Mr.  Almy  got  to  like  it 
quite  as  well.  If  she  could  only  have  kept  her 
ground,  those  routed  veterans  could  never  have 
reassembled  in  force.  As  it  was,  she  feared,  and 
with  too  much  reason,  that  as  soon  as  her  back 
was  turned  the  whole  jolly  set  would  be  back 


270  LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

in  force.  How  she  would  pray  for  him  !  How 
she  would  set  Sister  Agnes  to  pray  for  him ! 
And,  all  the  while,  a  bright  hope  in  the  distance 
went  through  her  heart  like  a  ceaseless  song. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 


Lei's  visit  to  her  father  a 
stranger  had  come  to  Mount  Gabriel. 
A  beautiful  boy,  with  light  hair  and 
blue  eyes.  It  was  Clarence.  Lei  remembered 
him  at  sight,  but  wondered  how  he  came  there. 
Melville  had  kept  the  track  of  the  Wanderer.  It 
was  the  only  secret  not  yet  confided  to  his  wife. 
Professional  lies  are  said  to  be  very  venial,  and 
generally  very  successful.  Yet  it  was  in  vain 
that  he  sought  to  evade  her  questions  by  plead 
ing  a  vague  interest  in  the  youth  and  his  musical 
father.  The  neighbors,  including  the  household 

O  '  O 

of  Loretto,  were  content  to  accept  the  boy  as  a 
patient  entrusted  to  the  superior  skill  of  Dr. 
Melville.  And  Clarence's  appearance  gave  color 
to  the  story.  His  life  of  privation  and  exposure 
had  been  too  much  for  him.  The  shadow  of  the 
other  world  was  on  his  youth,  and  not  even  the 
skill  of  Dr.  Melville  could  remove  it. 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  271 

Lei  was  maturing  into  a  diplomatist.  She 
r»erceived  that  her  husband  was  hiding  some 
thing  from  her,  and  felt  it  her  solemn  duty  to 
nip  all  such  insane  proceedings  in  the  bud. 

"  A  charming  boy,"  she  kept  saying,  "  but 
who  is  he?" 

"Why,  don't  you  remember,  Lei,  that  poor 
chorus  singer  and  his  son?" 

"  Certainly,  I  remember.  But  who  is  the 
chorus  singer  ?  " 

"Why,  the  Wanderer,  of  course  —  the  man 
who  interested  me  so  much  in  London.  He 
seems  to  think  he  has  some  claim  on  m«." 

"  Indeed.  Corresponds  with  you  occasionally, 
I  presume." 

"  Occasionally." 

"  Do  you  know  his  present  address  ?  " 

"  I  know  what  his  future  address  will  soon 
be.  The  same  as  his  son's." 

"  You  mean  the  grave"  said  Lei,  wincing,  and 
almost  silenced. 

"Exactly,"  said  Melville,  "I  mean  the  grave." 

"But,  doctor,  pursued  Lei,  rallying,  "if  the 
dear  boy  should  die  on  our  hands  it  would  be 
awkward  to  bury  him  without  knowing  his  last 
name.  Has  he  any  last  name?" 

Melville  smiled.  His  solemnity  had  failed  to 
repulse  her.  And  why,  after  all,  should  there 


272  LOEETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE. 

be  any  mystery  between  them?  His  promise  of 
secrecy  to  the  Wanderer  was  made  as  a  bache 
lor,  not  as  a  married  man.  And,  moreover,  she 
had  a  clear  right  to  know.  Since  she  had  driven 
him  into  a  corner  it  was  wiser  to  surrender 
without  a  battle  than  with  one.  It  was  only 
from  his  instinctive  and  inveterate  reticence 
that  he  had  hesitated  to  enlighten  her. 

"  You  know,  Melville,"  she  resumed,  "  if  any 
thing  happens  I'd  like  to  pray  for  him  by  his 
last  name  as  well  as  his  first,  if  only  to  prevent 
mistakes." 

"  Can't  you  guess  his  last  name  ?  " 

"  Indeed  I  can't,"  she  said,  after  a  moment's 
reflection. 

"  Do  you  see  no  likeness  between  him  and  a 
friend  of  yours  ?  " 

Clarence  had  grown  more  like  Agnes  than 
ever,  but  Lei  did  not  catch  the  resemblance; 
the  color  of  the  hair  and  eyes  was  different. 

"A  friend  of  mine?  " 

"  Of  yours  and  mine.  Really,  Lei,  you  have 
less  penetration  than  I  gave  you  credit  for.  I 
may  well  get  obstinate  when  my  wife  grows 
stupid." 

Her  eyes  were  opened  at  last.  It  all  flashed 
upon  her  like  lightening.  The  figure  of  the 
Wanderer  had  lost  its  significance  in  the  two 


LORETTO  ;   OR,    THE    CHOICE.  273 

eventful  intervening  years  ;  the  bitter  story  was 
one  which  a  pure  woman's  heart  is  ever  the  last 
to  realize,  but  she  could  be  blind  to  its  full  mean 
ing  no  longer.  She  grew  pale  as  death  as  she 
hesitatingly  asked :  — 

"Do  you  mean  that  his  name  is  Cleveland?" 

"  Yes."     And  he  rose  to  leave  the  room. 

"  Stay  awhile,"  said  Lei.  "  Does  Sister  Agnes 
know  of  this  ?  " 

"No.     Do  you  think  she  ought  to?" 

"  Where  is  the  Wanderer  ?  "     He  told  her. 

"  Has  he  recovered  health  ?     Is  he  well  ?  " 

"  From  Clarence's  account,  and  his  own,  he 
can  scarcely  survive  this  winter.  In  fact,  I 
should  not  be  surprised  at  any  moment  to  hear 
the  worst." 

"  Gracious  heaven,  Melville,  what  a  pretty 
Catholic  you  are.  You  converts  never  seem  to 
think  of  saving  any  souls  but  your  own,  except 
controversially.  The  man  must  see  his  daughter, 
and  see  her  at  once  ;  she  may  save  him." 

"They  won't  let  her  go,  will  they?"  asked 
the  bewildered  physician. 

•  "  Won't  let  her  go  !  "  repeated  Lei,  in  loving 
scorn."  "  She'll  be  sent  there  to-morrow  morn- 
ing." 

"Then  you  want  the  carriage  ordered?" 

"  Immediately." 


274  LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

"Am  I  to  accompany  you?7* 

"No.  No  one  but  Clarence.  Order  the  light 
wagon.  I'll  drive  myself." 

"  Has  your  ladyship  any  more  orders  before 
her  departure  ?  " 

"  Yes.  Never  keep  anything  from  your  wife 
again.  The  sooner  men  learn  this  lesson  the 
better." 

In  a  very  few  minutes  more  Lei  was  driving 
Clarence  to  the  convent.  She  asked  to  see  the 
Mother  Superior,  and  leaving  the  boy  in  the  par 
lor  was  shown  into  the  adjoining  room.  It  did 
not  take  her  long  to  explain,  nor  did  it  take  the 
Mother  long  to  decide.  A  sister  servant  was 
going  south  in  the  morning,  and  Sister  Agnes 
could  go  with  her.  It  would  answer  exactly. 
"Would  Mrs.  Melville  like  to  see  Sister  Agnes 
now  ?  The  Mother  would  bring  her. 

Lei  returned  to  the  parlor,  where  they  were 
soon  joined  by  Sister  Agnes  and  the  Superior. 

Agnes  started  at  the  sight  of  Clarence.  She 
knew  him  at  once,  and  took  a 'seat  beside  him, 
saying,  — 

"  So  we  have  met  again,  my  young  friend. 
Don't  you  remember  me  ?  " 

He  gazed  at  her  with  a  puzzled  expression. 

"Have  you  forgotten  the  lady  who  used  to 
give  you  pineapples  and  oranges  ?  " 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE   CHOICT  275 

He  knew  her  then. 

"  Is  it  you  ? "  exclaimed  the  boy,  and  burst 
into  tears.  "  I've  never  forgotten  you,  night  or 
day.  I've  looked  for  your  face  wherever  we 
went,  for  it  seemed  to  follow  us  in  all  our  travels. 
I  thought,  perhaps,  you  were  in  heaven,  and  all 
the  while  you  were  a  nun." 

"Which  is  nearly  the  same  thing,"  said  Lei. 

"  Where  is  your  father  ?  "  asked  Agnes. 

"  Somewhere  in  the  south  with  the  Company." 

"Does  he  still  sing?" 

"When  he  can." 

"Is  he  no  better?" 

"  I  am  afraid  not,  but  Dr.  Melville  can  tell 
you." 

"  Why  did  he  part  with  you  ?  " 

"  He  said  the  life  was  too  hard  on  me." 

"  Are  you  sick  yourself  ?  " 

"  Sometimes,"  said  Clarence,  smiling. 

"  And,  if  our  Lord  wills  it,"  said  the  Mother, 
"  you  would  not  mind  His  taking  you  where  you 
thought  He  had  already  taken  Sister  Agnes, 
would  you,  Clarence?" 

"  Not  if  He'd  take  us  both  together,"  replied 
Clarence,  with  amusing  simplicity. 

"Why,  the  little  Wanderer,"  laughed  Lei, 
though  tears  were  for  an  instant  in  the  eyes  of 
all  of  them.  "I  fear  your  poor  father  will  be 


276  LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

the  first  to  leave  us,'-'  she  resumed,  more  seriously. 
"  His  last  letter  to  Dr.  Melville  was  dated  from 
the  hospital." 

"  Then  it  is  not  unlikely  that  Sister  Agnes  may 
soon  see  him,"  said  the  Mother. 

Agnes  looked  up  with  the  subdued,  resigned 
curiosity  of  a  Sister. 

"  She  starts  on  her  first  mission  to-morrow 
with  Sister  Seraphine,"  continued  the  Mother, 
"and  as  their  way  lies  south  they  may  possibly 
come  across  your  father." 

"  I  hope  so,"  murmui'ed  Clarence.  "  He  re 
members  her  as  well  as  I  do.  He  is  always  talk 
ing  about  Mr.  Melville's  sister." 

"  Mr.  Melville's  sister !  "  exclaimed  the  Mother. 

"A  delirious  reminiscence,"  explained  Lei, 
''  occasioned  by  the  fever  through  which  they 
nursed  him." 

Sister  Agnes  sat  like  a  statue,  her  eyes  on  the 
ground,  and  a  smile  on  her  lips. 

"I  will  show  Clarence  over  the  house  myself," 
resumed  the  Mother,  rising,  "  while  you  two  old 
friends  say  good-by  to  each  other.  Come,  Clar 
ence." 

Lei  and  Agnes  walked  out  into  the  open  air. 
It  was  a  bright,  warm,  February  day,  "  a  strag 
gler  from  the  files  of  June."  The  gravelled 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  277 

walks  were  hard  and  dry.  The  two  friends 
could  talk  better  with  no  walls  around  them,  and 
only  the  blue  sky  above  them.  They  could  see 
Loretto,  too,  on  the  mountain  side,  and  there  was 
a  charm  in  that,  a  common  point  for  both  their 
hearts  to  rest  on. 

"My  poor  uncle  will  never  get  over  my  being 
a  Sister,"  said  Agnes.  "  The  greatest  trial  I  now 
have  is  in  remembering  the  pain  I  caused  him. 
Pray  for  him,  Lei,  he  is  so  good  and  noble." 

"  On  one  condition,  Agnes  —  that  you  pray  for 
my  father." 

"  I  always  pray  for  him,"  said  Agnes,  while  her 
cheek  flushed  ever  so  little. 

"  But  pray  twice  as  hard,"  insisted  Lei.  "  He's 
in  the  hands  of  a  set  of  Philistines,  who  threaten 
to  bind  him  hand  and  foot,  and  would  have  done 
so  but  for  me." 

Agnes  laughed. 

"It's  no  laughing  matter,  Sister  Agnes  Cleve 
land,  and  if  you  don't  pray  your  best  for  him  he'll 
go  back  to  his  old  habits.  He's  no  longer  fit  to 
take  care  of  himself;  that's  the  plain  fact.  At 
his  age  fathers  are  only  fit  to  be  grandfathers." 

Agnes  was  gazing  intently  at  Loretto.  She 
did  not  notice  the  crimson  blush  which  flashed 
from  Lei's  cheeks,  as  if  she  had  said  more  than 
she  meant  to. 


278  LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  Clarence  is  dying,"  said  Agnes,  -without  re 
moving  her  eyes  from  Loretto.  "  He  will  never 
see  his  father  again." 

"  But  you  will." 

"  I  know  it.  It  is  for  that  I  am  sent  with  dear 
Sister  Seraphine." 

"  How  do  you  know  ?" 

Agnes  smiled  the  old  smile  of  the  past,  and 
threw  her  arm  around  her  cousin  as  in  days  gone 
by. 

"How  do  I  know  everything?"  she  answered. 
"  Is  it  so  hard  to  interpret  the  kindness  of  our 
noble  Mother,  and  the  officiousness  of  little  Ellen 
Almy?  Ah,  Lei,  your  touch  is  a  golden  one; 
I  should  know  it  in  ten  thousand.  But  here 
comes  our  Mother  with  Clarence.  She  has  been 
telling  him  of  heaven." 

It  was  true.  The  boy  had  of  course  been  en 
chanted  with  the  loveliness  of  the  place,  and  the 
Mother  had  of  course  improved  the  opportunity 
by  instilling  into  his  mind  the  superior  glories  of 
the  after-world.  The  Mother  excelled  in  preach 
ing  these  little  sermons.  She  knew  how  to  carry 
every  word  straight  to  the  heart.  She  lived  so 
much  in  God  herself  that  she  had  little  difficulty 
in  bringing  others  home  to  Him.  Lei  had  never 
seen  him  look  so  sweet  and  happy. 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  279 

"  You  must  say  good-by,  now,"  said  the 
Mother,  "for  Sister  Agnes  will  have  to  work 
hard  to  get  off." 

"Don't  make  her  mission  a  long  one,  Mother," 
said  Lei.  "  Good-by,  Agnes." 

"  Good-by,  Lei.  And  you,  Clarence,  remember 
all  our  dear  Mother  has  said  to  you.  Most  likely 
we  shall  never  meet  again  on  earth,  but  you  will 
soon  have  better  faces  than  mine  to  follow  you. 
Pray  for  Sister  Agnes,  and  she  will  pray  for  you. 
If  I  meet  your  father  I'll  take  care  of  him  as 
though  he  were  my  own." 

Lei  watched  her  like  a  hawk,  as  these  last 
words  were  uttered,  to  see  if  her  manner  or 
accent  betrayed  any  deeper  consciousness  of 
their  significance  ;  but  Agnes  was  impenetrable. 
There  was  nothing  to  discern  more  than  the  sim 
ple  promise  of  a  good  Sister  of  Charity. 

Clarence  wept  so  he  could  not  speak,  and  in 
spite  of  Agnes'  resistance  kissed  her  hand  at 
parting.  lie  was  silent  all  the  way  home,  arid 
only  smiled  when  Gabriel  rushed  out  to  help  Lei 
to  the  ground. 

"It  is  upward,  not  downward,  you  desire  to 
go,"  whispered  Gabriel,  as  he  held  her  poised  a 
moment  in  the  air.  "  Never  mind,  you  will  go 
there  yet."  And  he  led  her  into  the  house  with 
the  triumph  of  a  guardian  angel  in  escort  of  a 
soul  that's  saved. 


280  LOEETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  How's  Sister  Agnes  ?  "  cried  Melville,  from 
his  office. 

"  Very  well.  She  starts  on  her  first  mission 
to-morrow,  as  I  told  you,"  she  added,  as  he 
appeared. 

"  Then  I'll  have  to  forgive  your  keeping 
dinner  waiting."  And  George  Melville  humbly 
and  silently  thanked  heaven  for  having  given 
him  the  hand  of  Ellen  Almy. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

AR  to  the  South,  a  thousand  miles  away 
from  Loretto,  at  the  single  window  of 
his  chamber,  sat  the  Wanderer  watch 
ing  the  people  passing  carelessly  below.  Little 
thought  they  of  the  grave  to  which  he  was  has 
tening.  The  spring  of  that  soft  climate  has 
already  begun,  but  he  will  never  see  the  sum 
mer.  He  is  emaciated  almost  to  a  shadow.  He 
has  fought  manfully  for  life,  but  it  is  leaving 
him.  His  thoughts  are  not  of  the  city  around 
him,  or  even  of  the  world  beyond  this ;  they  are 
writh  the  boy  who  may  survive  him,  with  the  dis 
tant  inmates  of  Loretto. 

As  the  sun  set  a  Sister  entered  with  the  even 
ing  meal.     This  was   not   the   Sister  who   had 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  281 

hitherto  served  him,  but  a  stranger.  It  was  the 
same  to  him  ;  he  scarcely  looked  at  her,  although 
she  seemed  to  linger  longer  around  the  table 

^  * 

than  others  did.  Only  once  their  eyes  met,  and 
had  the  light  been  stronger  he  must  have  seen 
her  cheek  whiten  and  her  eye  dilate.  But  when 
she  left  the  room  her  face  remained  with  him, 
and  began  to  connect  itself  with  another  face, 
ever  present  in  his  mind.  Her  strange  emotion 
strengthened  the  likeness.  Surely  he  had  seen 
her  before  —  but  where?  The  red  spot  on  his 
cheek  deepened ;  in  vain  he  strove  to  calm  him 
self;  his  hand  shook  as  lie  raised  the  untasted 
cup  to  his  lips.  There  must  have  been  some 
powerful  memories  at  work  within  that  wasted 
frame  to  nerve  it  so  !  He  started  up,  rang  the 
bell,  and  when  Agnes  reappeared,  the  invalid, 
who  had  crept  to  his  chair,  was  pacing  the  room 
with  a  firm,  steady  step. 

"Tell  me,  Sister,"  he  began,  holding  the  light 
to  her  face,  "  have  I  not  seen  you  before  ?  Were 
you  not  Miss  Melville?" 

"You  mistook  my  name,  sir,"  replied  Agnes; 
"it  is  not  Melville,  but  Cleveland  ;  Agnes  Cleve 
land." 

The  word  had  frozen  him.  He  clutched  her 
wrist;  then  reeling  back  would  have  fallen  but 
for  her  quick  support. 


282  LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

She  guided  him  to  his  bed.  His  hand  was 
still  on  her  wrist,  he  spoke  not,  he  scarcely 
seemed  to  breathe,  but  kept  gazing  into  her  eyes, 
as  if  he  had  not  power  to  end  the  long",  fixed,  ter 
rible  look. 

Oh  heaven,  how  her  young  heart  throbbed ! 
Will  he  not  end  that  awful  silence  and  call  her 

—  "Daughter?"      "Father!"    the    word    was 
trembling   on   her   lips ;  she  read  the  secret  in 
his  eye.     She  was  leaning  forward ;  she  felt  his 
breath  on  her  cheek ;  she  had  almost  touched  his 
marble  forehead !     He  turned  from  her  with  a 
groan,  and,  dropping  her-  hand,  buried  his  face  in 
the  pillow. 

Then   came  a  fearful  doubt  across  her  mind 

—  he  might  not  be  her  father! 

She  turned  her  face  away ;  she  pressed  her 
hand  against  her  heart ;  she  signed  the  cross  on 
her  breast,  and  stood  upright  awhile,  motionless 
as  a  statue.  She  had  not  power  to  move,  such 
was  the  recoil  of  disappointed  hope ;  until, 
gathering  all  her  strength,  she  broke  the  spell, 
as  a  river  breaks  its  fetters  of  ice.  One  glance 
more  at  that  prostrate,  deathlike  figure,  and  she 
walked  hastily  towards  the  door. 

"  Agnes !  Agnes  !  "  She  turned.  The  voice 
•went  thrilling  to  her  soul.  She  saw  the  Wan 
derer  bending  towards  her,  his  arms  flung  wide 


LOEETTO;    OE,    THE    CHOICE.  283 

to  receive  her.  Trembling  and  murmuring,  her 
hands  clasped  and  straining,  she  shrank  cower 
ing  back  against  the  wall.  The  figure  danced 
before  her  eyes ;  it  seemed  as  if  she  could  never 
reach  those  outstretched  arms,  an  iron  chain 
seemed  to  hold  her  back. 

"  Agnes  !  Agnes  !  behold  your  father  !  "  One 
wild  leap  -brought  her  to  his  bosom !  And  at 
last  she  said  the  word  —  "Father!  Father!" 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

HE  night  had  passed  —  the  morning  sun 
was  shining. 

"  Yes,  my  child,"  said  Mr.  Cleveland, 
"I  was  once  as  good  and  guiltless  as  you  are 
now.  At  college  I  was  noted  for  piety  —  my 
sole  ambition  was  to  be  a  good  priest.  To  this, 
however,  my  parents  would  not  listen,  and  I 
was  forced  into  society.  At  first  I  loathed,  at 
last  I  loved  it.  I  became  enamored  of  a  young 
lady  who  had  no  wealth,  and  whose  pretensions 
were  inferior  to  mine.  I  wished  to  marry  her, 
but  my  parents  sternly  forbade  the  match,  and 
I  had  reverence  enough  left  to  obey  them." 

He  paused  for  breath ;  it  required  all  her 
attention  to  keep  pace  with  the  deep  meaning 
he  poured  into  every  word. 


284  LORETTO;    OE,    THE    CHOICE. 

"Your  grandfather  and  your  grandmother 
were  good,  worthy  people ;  but,  as  I  had  some 
little  eloquence,  they  wished  me  to  shine  at  the 
bar.  They  were  fashionable  Catholics,  and  did 
not  care  to  have  their  son  a  priest.  But  remem 
ber,  Agnes,  I  was  more  to  blame  in  resigning 
than  they  in  opposing  my  vocation." 

He  smiled  —  it  was  the  first  smile  she  had 
ever  seen  on  his  face.  "  Thank  God  !  you  are  a 
Sister  of  Charity,"  he  said,  running  his  eye  over 
her  black  habit. 

""Well,"  he  resumed,  "your  mother"  —  he 
bent  his  head  reverently  at  the  name  —  "was 
selected  as  a  proper  person  for  me,  though  a 
few  years  older,  and  I  was  married  to  her  at 
twenty-four.  During  the  few  years  we  lived 
happily  together  I  contrived  to  abandon  my 
profession,  spend  my  fortune,  and  fall  in  debt. 
Your  uncle,  the  Colonel,  was  my  fast  friend  in 
all  financial  difficulties,  and  so  loaded  me  with 
obligations  that  I  hated  him.  Agnes,  before  I 
proceed,  let  me  say  that  no  human  love  can 
content  the  soul  that,  called  to  give  itself  en 
tirely  to  God,  refuses;  it  wanders  on  unsatisfied 
forever." 

And  this  was  the  truth  which  Mr.  Almy  could 
not  reach,  when  he  styled  himself  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  a  hidden  truth.  A  change  came  over 
the  "Wanderer's  face  —  he  no  lonsrer  looked  ?•*. 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE   CHOICE,  285 

his  child  —  and  turned  away  from  her  as  he 
continued  :  — 

"  I  found  that  I  wag  still  loved  by  the  poor 
girl  whom  I  unwillingly  deserted ;  and  I  ceased 
to  love  your  mother,  pure  and  beautiful  as  she 
was.  I  made  no  secret  of  my  aversion,  and  was 
unmoved  by  her  grief,  her  gentleness,  her  dignity. 
I  was  steeled  even  against  your  infant  smiles  and 
caresses 

"Your  uncle,  who  had  patiently  endured  my 
contempt  of  him,  was  maddened  by  my  heartless 
treatment  of  his  sister ;  and  once  when  I  insulted 
her  in  his  presence,  before  I  could  defend  myself, 
he  felled  me  with  his  cane.  Here  is  the  scar," 
he  said,  lifting  his  black  hair  from  his  temple, 
and  Agnes  remembered  Melville's  song  and  her 
mother's  groan. 

"  That  blow  sealed  my  fate !  I  will  not  ask 
you,  my  pure,  noble  girl,  to  follow  me  through 
my  dark  career  of  ingratitude  and  crime.  It 
Avill  be  read  against  me  where  all  the  living  and 
the  dead  shall  hear  it !  " 

He  threw  her  arms  from  his  neck. 

"  Oh  God !  "  he  said,  "that  I  should  suffer  this 
young  innocent  to  approach  me !  Agnes,  my 
lips  are  steeped  in  blasphemy,  and  I  have  let  you 
kiss  them  ;  my  head  is  bent  with  curses,  and  I 
have  let  you  press  it  to  your  bosom ;  my  hands 


286  LOKETTO;    OB,   THE   CHOICE. 

are  red  with  iniquity,  and  you  have  held  them ; 
I  am  an  outcast,  and  you  call  mt  father ! " 

He  shuddered  as  he  spoke. 

"  There  is  but  one  redeeming  trait  to  plead 
for  me  in  the  ear  of  God,  and  that  is  Clarence. 
For  him  I  relinquished  the  delight  of  death  and 
despair.  I  taught  him  his  prayers,  I  counter 
feited  virtue,  that  he  might  never  look  on  vice, 
and  I  sent  him  away — I  yielded  up  my  child 
that  he  might  not  know  my  dark  and  bitter 
end." 

Agnes  trembled,  but  she  saw  a  solitary  tear 
start  from  his  eye,  and  in  that  single  drop  there 
was  comfort  and  hope  ! 

"Why  should  1  wish  to  be  saved?"  he  cried. 
"  It  would  be  asking  too  much  of  heaven  !  I 
have  been  tempted  lately  to  see  if  life  will  last 
me  to  Loretto,  that  I  might  again  behold  your 
mother.  I  know  she  would  receive  me  —  I 
know  she  would  save  me  —  but  it  is  too  much 
blessedness!" 

"  Father ! "  whispered  Agnes,  but  he  was  not 
listening. 

"Oh,  Mary !  "  he  said,  "  instead  of  branding  me 
as  a  traitor  you  have  been  filling  heaven  with 
prayers  for  me ;  you  have  offered  up  your  vir 
tues,  like  sweet  victims,  for  my  sins ;  you  have 
trained  my  daughter  for  her  God;  you  have 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE   CHOICE,  287 

permitted  her  to  love  and  embrace  me ;  you 
have  devoted  your  life  to  save  me!  " 

"  And  not  in  vain  !  "  cried  Agnes,  not  in  in 
terrogation  or  entreaty,  but  in  exulting  accents 
of  confidence  and  command,  as,  rising  to  her  full 
height,  she  caught  his  hand,  and,  pointing  to  the 
crucifix  on  the  wall,  repeated, — 

"  Xot  in  vain,  my  father !  " 

lie  was  awed  by  the  sublimity  of  her  attitude 
and  expression.  She  had  assumed  his  repent 
ance,  and  the  impossibility  of  it  no  longer 
occurred. 

"  You  are  young  and  sinless,"  he  said ;  "  you 
know  not  how  suffering  and  guilt,  how  years  of 
sorrow  received  and  inflicted,  how  scorn  and 
hatred,  and  want  and  woe,  and  crime,  can 
harden  the  heart." 

"  But  I  know,"  returned  Agnes,  "  that  heaven 
is  merciful,  and  that  its  grace  can  penetrate  the 
hardest  heart,  and  that  you  have  been  penitent 
for  years.  Oh,  my  dear,  long-lost  father,"  she 
continued,  falling  at  his  feet;  "when  I  first 
heard  that  you  lived,  and  when  your  image  re 
turned  from  oblivion — -when  mother  and  I  were 
weeping  together,  she  promised  that  we  should 
all  meet  in  heaven,  and  I  dried  my  tears  and 
believed  it.  Tell  me,  father,  shall  it  not  be  so? 
can  you  disappoint  her  without  one  effort  to 


288  LOEETTO;   OE,    THE   CHOICE. 

That  proud  lip  quivered  an  instant ;  and  then, 
and  not  till  then,  in  the  agony  and  rapture  of 
repentance  that  followed,  had  Agries  truly  found 
her  father. 

They  are  journeying  to  the  North — two  Sis 
ters  and  the  Wanderer.  Agnes  had  conquered  — 
he  had  tasted  the  Lamb  that  redeems  the  world, 
—  he  was  on  his  way  to  Loretto.  But  will  he 
reach  it  ?  His  face  is  wan  and  wasted,  his 
shrunken  limbs  scarcely  sustain  his  weight;  hour 
after  hour  that  fatal  cough,  that  incessant  drain 
on  life,  continues.  He  makes  no  moan,  no  mur 
mur,  but  humbly  and  patiently  sits  beside  his 
child,  hearing  the  story  of  her  life,  or  filling  up 
the  outlines  of  his  own.  And  as  Agnes  listened, 
and  watched  his  bright,  splendid  eye,  and  beauti 
ful  head,  she  saw  what  power  and  strength  had 
once  been  lodged  in  that  crumbling  wreck  of 
genius  and  virtue. 

They  are  half  way  to  Loretto.  Oh,  will  he 
reach  it?  Alas,  the  Wanderer  is  in  his  berth  — 
he  can  no  longer  sit  on  deck  beside  his  child ;  it 
oppresses  him  to  speak  —  he  can  only  smile  and 
look  at  her.  How  could  he  endure  the  jolting 
stage  and  racking  car  ? 

There  was  strong  will  and  strong  hope  within 
that  wasted  frame. 

"  Oh,  God !  "  he  prayed,  "  grant  me  life,  that  I 


LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  289 

may  see  her  once  more,  that  I  may  hear  the  voice 
of  pardon  from  her  lips.  I  ask  it  not  for  my 
sake,  but  for  hers !  Let  me  see  her  again ;'  let 
her  see  that  her  life  of  prayer  has  not  been  in 
vain;  let  her  hear  me  bless  her  with  my  last 
breath!" 

The  grace  of  God,  and  the  determination  to 
live,  kept  him  alive. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

HE  world  had  changed  for  Clarence.  It 
was  no  longer  either  a  prison  or  a  play 
ground.  His  privations  and  pastimes 
were  both  at  an  end.  He  knew  that  he  was  to 
die.  Sister  Agnes  and  the  Mother  had  intimated 
it  too  clearly  for  misapprehension.  Although 
reconciled  to  his  lot,  he  could  not  escape  the  con 
sciousness  of  submission.  It  saddened  and 
haunted  him.  He  would  sit  dreaming  over  his 
books,  listening  to  Lei's  music,  with  tears  in  his 
eyes,  and  a  far-off  gaze  into  futurity.  He  sought 
the  quietest  corners  of  the  house  where  he  could 
sit  or  kneel  alone.  For  the  fields  and  the  flowers 
he  had  ceased  to  care  ;  his  chief  earthly  love  was 
for  the  moimtains,  their  misty  summits  and  shaded 
gorges.  He  longed  to  be  upon  them,  to  peer 
beyond  them.  They  lay  like  a  barrier  between 


290  LORETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

him  and  the  unknown  region  toward  which  he 
was  drifting.  He  longed  to  sail  with  the  clouds, 
above  them,  behind  them.  He  was  glad  when 
day  was  over  and  the  stars  came  out,  each  with 
its  golden  declaration  that  there  were  other 
worlds  —  millions  of  others — besides  this. 

When  Gabriel  was  not  with  the  Colonel  he 
was  with  Clarence.  Much  as  the  boy  was  at 
tached  to  Lei  and  Melville,  he  clung  most  to  Ga 
briel.  For  Gabriel  knew  such  beautiful  prayers, 
and  could  tell  such  charming  legends  of  saints 
and  hermits,  and  talk  of  angels  until  their  white 
wings  seemed  to '  rustle  in  the  room ;  and  he 
knew  how  to  picture  heaven  so  very  brightly 
that  the  crystal  doors  appeared  wide  open  as  he 
spoke.  He  was  seldom  sad  when  Gabriel  was 
with  him.  And  when  Gabriel  discovered  his 
wish  to  be  among  the  mountains,  and  saw  he  had 
not  strength  to  walk  there,  he  begged  from  Lei, 
too  glad  to  give  it,  her  little  wagon.  Day  after 
day  they  drove  from  slope  to  slope,  from  gap  to 
gap,  from  spring  to  spring ;  and  day  after  day 
Clarence  would  expect  some  other  landscape  to 
open  at  his  feet,  some  glimpse  at  least  of  the 
fair  fields  of  the  hereafter. 

More  than  once  on  their  rambles  they  stopped 
at  Loretto.  But  Mrs.  Cleveland,  so  gentle  to  all 
else,  seemed  stern  with  Clarence.  Once,  when 
he  chanced  to  clasp  her  hand,  she  shrank  from 


LORETTO  ;   OB,    THE   CHOICE.  291 

him  as  if  a  serpent  stung  her.  And  the  look  she 
gave  him  made  Clarence  wonder,  and  ask  Ga 
briel  what  it  meant. 

"If  you  were  to  live,"  said  Gabriel,  "  you  would 
meet  many  such  looks." 

"  From  her  ?  " 

"  From  all." 

"  Then,  it  is  better  to  die  ?  " 

"  Our  Father  in  heaven  seems  to  think  so." 

"  What  have  I  done  to  deserve  such  looks?" 

"  You  ?    Nothing." 

"  Who,  then  ?  " 

"  Your  father." 

"  My  father  !  —  Clarence  only  knew  his  father 
ns  an  invalid  and  benefactor  ;  as  the  guardian  Avho 
had  instructed  him  for  first  communion  and  con 
firmation  ;  as  a  lonely,  uncomplaining  martyr. 
The  idea  of  his  father's  having  done  any  wrong, 
or,  more  than  all,  of  having  brought  shame  upon 
his  son,  was  something  incomprehensible  and 
monstrous.  "  My  father  !  "  was  all  the  boy  could 
say. 

"  Why  should  I  reveal  a  story  that  your  own 
eyes  will  soon  read  without  help  of  mine,"  said 

Gabriel.  "  And  yet .  Do  you  remember 

your  mother,  Clarence  ?  " 

"  I  was  too  vounsj  to  remember  her.     I  remem- 

w  O 

ber  her  picture." 

"  Was  her  picture  like  Mrs.  Cleveland  ?  " 


LORETTO  ;    OR,   THE   CHOICE. 

"Oh,  no.  They  are  very  different." 
"  And  yet  Mrs.  Cleveland  is  your  father's  wife." 
The  boy  was  silent.  He  sat  in  a  maze.  A 
sudden  gleam  of  light  overspread  the  past,  and 
made  all  plain  that  had  been  obscure.  What 
had  he  to  live  for  now  ?  Why  had  he  ever 
wished  to  live  ?  And  suddenly  the  grave,  from 
which  he  had  shrunk,  grew  beautiful.  For  he 
remembered,  even  in  Lei,  a  strange  reserve  at 
times,  and  a  faltering  more  than  once  when  she 
stooped  to  kiss  him  ;  and  there  was  a  deliberate 
pity  in  Mr.  Melville's  glance  which  was  now 
accounted  for.  He  felt  and  comprehended  all. 
He  blessed  God  in  his  heart  for  taking  him  from 
a  world  in  which  he  was  misplaced.  And  then 
a  horrible  fear  crept  over  him  like  a  chill. 
Would  God  and  the  angels  look  coldly  on  him 
too?  In  his  sudden  panic  he  clung  trembling 
to  his  companion's  arm. 

"It  will  make  no  difference  there,  will  it 
Gabriel?" 

"Not  more  than  it  makes  with  me,"  said 
Gabriel,  clasping  the  child  to  his  heart.  And 
had  one  passed  them  then,  he  would  have  taken 
it  for  one  angel  embracing  another. 

There  was  one  peak  which  they  had  not  yet 
visited  —  the  highest.  Clarence  had  often  begged 
to  go  there,  but  Gabriel  was  afraid  of  overtasking 
him;  for  it  involved  a  little  climbing  afoot  as 


LORETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE.  293 

well    as    a   loner   drive.     But   one    afternoon,    a 

o  * 

month  or  more  after  Agnes'  departure,  he  was 
so  bent  upon  going  there  that  Gabriel  yielded, 
not  without  misgiving,  although  the  boy  seemed 
brighter  and  stronger.  Clarence  sang  as  they 
passed  the  graveyard  and  the  church  on  the  hill. 
lie  was  on  his  way  at  last  to  the  purple,  thunder- 
riven  rocks  of  which  he  had  heard  so  much.  He 
would  see  at  last  where  the  sun  set,  and  his  eye 
flashed  and  his  cheek  brightened  at  the  thought. 

They  tied  Lei's  pony  beneath  the  huge  bould 
ers  that  formed  the  summit.  Gabriel  would 
have  carried  him  up  the  steep,  but  the  boy 
sprang  before  him  as  if  he  had  never  known 
either  sadness  or  fatigue,  and  stood  gazing  at 
the  sun,  which  was  opening  through  the  nearest 
gorge  a  pathway  of  purple  and  scarlet,  and  shin 
ing  around  himself  in  a  wide  aureola  of  gloiy. 
He  was  holding  communion  with  something  he 
saw,  something  visible  to  him  alone,  and  he 
spoke  not  even  to  Gabriel.  But  Gabriel  stand 
ing  beside  him  knew  the  sign,  and  whispered  :  — 

"  Are  they  calling  you  ?  " 

The  boy's  lips  grew  crimson,  a  crimson  deeper 
than  the  sunset,  a  crimson  that  fell  at  last  in 
drops  at  his  feet.  And  this  was  his  only  answer. 

"This  is  sudden,"  said  Gabriel,  lifting  him  in 
his  arms.  "  Look  for  it  as  we  may,  it  is  sure  to 
make  us  tremble  when  it  comes." 


294  LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  It  does  not  make  me  tremble,  Gabriel.  Take 
me  to  Loretto." 

It  was  Gabriel's  own  wish.  The  same  thought 
was  in  both  their  hearts.  Loretto  was  farther 
off  than  Mount  Gabriel,  but  they  drove  there 
slowly  and  in  silence,  and  met  the  Colonel  at 
the  door.  He  had  just  returned  from  trout- 
fishing  with  Charlie.  The  Colonel  frowned  when 
he  first  caught  sight  of  the  pair,  and  muttered 
something  unpleasantly  between  his  teeth.  But, 
on  nearer  view,  the  deadly  pallor  of  the  boy 
startled  him. 

"  Great  heaven !  what  has  happened  ? "  he 
exclaimed. 

"  The  beginning  of  the  end,"  said  Gabriel. 

And  Clarence  looked  up  at  him  with  dark 
shadows  under  his  eyes  and  a  fresh  blood-stain 
on  his  lips  that  had  not  yet  been  quite  removed. 

"  A  hemorrhage,"  ejaculated  the  Colonel. 

"Yes." 

"Why  did  you  bring  him  here?  "Why  not 
take  him  home  at  once,  where  he  would  have 
Doctor  Melville's  constant  attendance?" 

"  His  home  is  here,  for  awhile  at  least,"  replied 
Gabriel.  "  He  will  not  trouble  you  long,  Colonel 
Cleverton." 

The  Colonel  winced  at  this  rebuke.  He  felt 
that  he  had  been  cruel.  He  was  glad  when  his 
sister  Mary  appeared  on  the  scene  to  relieve 


LORETTO;   OK,    THE    CHOICE.  295 

him.  Mrs.  Cleveland  comprehended  the  situa 
tion  at  a  glance.  She  still  shrank  from  the  boy, 
but  her  duty  was  clear.  She  conversed  a  mo 
ment  apart  with  her  brother. 

"  Of  course,"  said  the  Colonel,  "  we  are  Chria- 
tians,  and  can't  do  otherwise.  But  don't  put 
him  in  her  room,  Mary, —  not  in  her  room." 

"  It  is  the  only  one  ready." 

"  Give  him  my  room,  your  room;  but  not  her 
room." 

The  pale  woman  thought  a  moment,  and  then 
answered  :  — 

"  If  God  will  let  him  into  His  rooms  forever, 
brother,  don't  you  think  we  might  admit  him 
awhile  into  ours,  —  even  into  that  of  Sister 
Agnes?" 

The  Colonel  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  Clar- 

OO  ' 

ence  soon  found  himself  in  the  quiet  chamber 
which  had  been  preserved  as  Agnes  left  it.  He 
divined  at  once  whose  room  it  was,  and  whis 
pered  to  Gabriel :  — 

"  I  know  where  I  am.  I  shall  die  here." 
"  So,  my  little  man,"  said  Dr.  Melville  that 
evening,  "  you  have  been  over-exerting  yourself 
witli  that  restless  Gabriel,  and  must  be  punished 
accordingly.  I  forbid  any  more  walks  and  'any 
more  talks.  You  are  to  lie  abed  for  a  week 
and  not  speak  above  your  breath.  Then  we'll 


296  LOKETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

take  you  home,  if  you  are  well  enough,  as  I  hope 
you  will  be." 

"  I  am  home,"  said  Clarence.  "  This  is  Sister 
Agnes'  chamber.  Doctor,  will  I  live  till  she  gets 
back?" 

"  I  hope  so." 

"  Will  she  bring  my  father  with  her  ?  " 

"  I  think  so." 

"  Keep  me  alive  till  then,  Doctor,  if  —  if  it  is 
in  your  power." 

"I  will  try,  Clarence.  We  doctors  can't  do 
as  much  as  they  think  we  can,  but  we  can  still 
do  something,  with  God's  help.  I  shall  be  al 
most  constantly  with  you  until  you  are  bet 
ter" 

Or  worse,"  added  Clarence,  smiling,  for  there 
was  a  cadence  in  the  doctor's  voice  which  im 
plied  a  reservation. 

Clai-ence  grew  worse.  It  was  a  rapid  decline, 
a  vanishing  away.  He  was  dying  of  sheer  loss 
of  blood.  Xothing  could  stop  it.  The  Colonel 
grew  fond  of  the  uncomplaining  boy,  and  some 
times  wept  a  little  to  see  how  fast  the  handker 
chief  changed  from  white  to  crimson.  Mrs. 
Cleveland  was  always  at  the  bedside  unless  re 
lieved  by  Lei  or  Gabriel.  But  Clarence  missed 
a  something  in  her  look  he  longed  for,  and  fan 
cied  she  still  shrank  from  him.  Once  when  they 


LOEETTO;    OR,    THE   CHOICE.  297 

were  alone,  and  she  had  propped  him  on  the 
pillows  so  that  he  could  see  the  convent  spires, 
he  said  to  her  :  — 

"  I  want  to  ask  you  something,  but  I'm  afraid 
to." 

"Afraid  of  what?" 

"  Of  offending  you." 

"  I  slnill  not  be  offended,  Clarence.     Ask  me." 

"  Will  you  kiss  me  when  I'm  dead  ?  " 

She  started  and  trembled. 

"Why  do  you  ask?" 

"  Because  the  stain  will  be  off  me  then." 

He  thought  she  was  offended,  for  she  rose  and 

O  ' 

turned  hastily  away.  But  the  next  instant  she 
had  fallen  on  her  knees  at  the  windo\v,  with  her 
face  buried  in  her  hands.  And  this  guarded, 
undemonstrative  lady  sobbed  as  though  her 
heart  would  break  as  the  one  temptation  which 
threatened  her  gentle  heart  disappeared  forever. 
And  in  her  deep  contrition,  she  kissed  the  feet  of 
the  crucifix  and  prayed  aloud  that  she  mii;ht  be 

L  v  O 

forgiven  her  coldness  to  the  motherless  boy.  The 
door  opened  and  Gabriel  stood  over  her  with  the 
triumphant  smile  of  a  seraph.  But  she  saw  him 
not,  or  heeded  him  not.  She  went  straight  to 
Clarence,  bent  over  him,  kissed  him,  and  laid  his 
head  on  her  shoulder.  There  was  no  shrinking 
after  that.  She  was  all  tenderness  and  love. 
Her  very  touch  was  different,  and  Clarence 


298  LORETTO;    OB,    THE    CHOICE. 

would  fall  asleep  with  his  hand  in  hers,  as  happy 
as  though  the  grave  were  not  so  near  him.  It 
was  so  to  the  end. 

But  the  end  was  near ;  nearer  than  they 
thought.  After  being  anointed  by  the  con 
fessor  of  the  convent,  he  rallied  so  that  it  was 
hard  to  realize  that  he  was  dying. 

"  I  should  like  to  live,"  he  said  to  Gabriel,  "  to 
see  Sister  Agnes  and  my  father." 

"  They  will  be  here  to-morrow." 

"I  shall  see  them,  then,"  exclaimed  the  boy, 
half  rising  in  his  bed. 

"As  God  wills,"  answered  Gabriel. 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

CARRIAGE  stood  before  the  white 
palings  of  Loretto.  The  house  was 
closed,  the  windows  barred.  It  was  all 
so  still  that  you  could  only  hear  the  humming  of 
the  bees.  Charley  came  running  to  meet  them, 
his  eyes  full  of  tears,  his  hands  full  of  white 
roses,  which  he  had  just  been  gathering. 

"Too  late,"  murmured  Agnes  to  herself,  as 
she  caught  a  glimpse  of  Lei's  sad  face  in  the 
doorway,  and  as  Gabriel  and  Melville  advanced 
to  receive  the  Wanderer. 

"  Shall  we  assist  you,  sir,."  said  Melville. 


LOKETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  299 

"  You  are  very  kind.  I  think  I  can  walk  with 
a  little  support.  Let  me  try." 

After  a  few  steps  toward  the  house  he  stopped 
as  if  to  compose  himself,  and  raising  his  eyes 
looked  steadily  around  him.  Twenty  years 
since  he  saw  that  scene !  He  smiled  to  think 
how  little  it  had  changed.  The  sharp  roof,  the 
double  portico,  the  red  honeysuckles,  were  still 
the  same.  The  double  curve  of  the  mountains 
was  still  there,  like  a  Greek  bow  bent  by  a  giant. 
It  was  a  scene  that  had  haunted  him  in  all  his 
wanderings  —  the  home  which  his  heart  had 
never  utterly  forsaken  —  the  solitude  in  which 
he  had  prayed  to  God  to  accord  him  a  grave. 

Yet  how  should  he  face  the  inmates  of  that 
silent  house  ?  He  was  nerved  for  trial,  schooled 
by  adversity,  absorbed  in  the  opening  afterward, 
but  he  shuddered  at  the  ordeal  before  him.  It 
was  not  till  Agnes  whispered,  "  Courage,  father," 
that  he  could  ascend  the  steps. 

"  Is  Clarence  here  ?  "  he  said  to  Melville. 

"  Yes." 

The  tone  in  which  this  was  uttered  revealed  all. 

"Let  me  see  him,"  said  the  Wanderer,  with 
a  firmer  voice,  and  walking  without  their  aid. 

It  was  but  a  step  or  two.  The  hall  opened 
into  the  front  parlor,  and  there  lay  Clarence 
between  the  lighted  tapers  of  the  dead,  watched 
by  Mrs.  Cleveland  and  the  Colonel.  Long  and 


300  LORETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE. 

tender  was  the  gaze  of  the  father  at  his  son,  and 
then  raising  both  hands  to  heaven,  he  said,  with 
an  energy  that  thrilled  them  all :  — 

"  I  thank  thee,  O  my  Saviour,  for  this  crowning 
mercy !  It  is  thus  I  wished  to  meet  him.  "Will 
you  leave  me  here  a  moment  with  him  —  and  his 
watchers,"  he  added,  glancing  at  the  Colonel  and 
Mrs  Cleveland. 

The  three  were  hardly  alone  with  the  dead, 
before  a  deep  voice,  in  its  last  wail,  was  heard 
even  in  the  hall:  "My  wife  —  my  friend  —  for 
give  me,  in  the  name  of  God ! "  And  with  the 
kind  answer  came  a  falling  spxmd  that  brought 
them  all  back  into  the  room.  The  Wanderer 
was  lying  at  Mrs.  Cleveland's  feet,  the  Colonel 
vainly  trying  to  revive  him.  Nor  did  he  answer 
when  Agnes  called  him  "  Father." 

"It  is  all  over,"  whispered  Melville  to  Lei. 

And  Gabriel,  stooping  over  Clarence,  as  though 
the  boy  could  hear  him,  whispered  :  — 

"  You  will  see  vour  father  now." 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

HERE   were  two   more   graves   on   the 
hillside.     Clarence   and    the  Wanderer 
were  sleeping  side  by  side.      Xor  was 
their  last  resting-place  forgotten  or  unadorned  ; 


LOKETTO;   OR,    THE    CHOICE.  801 

and  when  All  Souls'  Day  came  no  other  spot 
was  richer  in  wreaths  and  flowers. 

"It  makes  no  difference  even  here,"  mused 
Gabriel,  as  he  laid  an  ivy  cross  over  the  remains 
of  his  young  friend.  And  looking  up  he  saw 
Mr.  Almy  beside  him. 

"I  was  expecting  you,"  continued  Gabriel. 
"  When  did  you  arrive  ?  "  * 

"  Last  evening." 

"  Do  you  remain  ?  " 

"  Awhile." 

"Why  not  always?" 

"  I  cannot  be  in  two  places  at  once. 

"  Clarence  is  " 

Mr.  Almy  started.  The  attack  was  so  sharp 
and  sudden. 

"But  I  —  I  must  be  in  town,  or  let  my  busi 
ness  go  to  the  —  dogs." 

"So  you  prefer  letting  your  soul  go  there?" 

"Not  quite  that,  I  hope,"  said  Almy,  smiling. 

"Quite  that,  I  khow"  answered  Gabriel. 
"Are  you  not  rich  enough  yet?" 

"Who  is?" 

"  They  /  "  —  he  pointed  to  the  graves  at  their 
feet. 

The  leaves  were  falling  around  them,  and 
light  gusts  of  snow  drifting  over  the  mountain. 

"  And  so  the  Wanderer  died  a  happy  death," 
resumed  Mr.  Almy,  after  a  long  pause. 


302  LORETTO;   OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  Let  us  hope  so,"  said  Gabriel.  "  He  will  not 
be  asked  to  pass  through  the  eye  of  a  needle,  Mr. 
Alrny.  His  temptation  was  love,  not  money." 

"Do  you  mean  that  money's  mine?"  asked 
Almy. 

"  One  of  yours." 

"The  other?" 

"Wine."    * 

"  Is  there  any  other  ?  " 

"Not  whist,"  said  Gabriel,  remembering  Lei. 
And  then  as  Almy  laughed,  he  added  :  "  You 
are  too  old  fcr  such  follies  as  these.  You  will 
soon  cease  to  be  respectable  if  you  pursue  them, 
and  I,  for  one,  am  already  ashamed  of  you. 
Don't  shrivel  up  into  a  wretched  old  worldling ; 
I'd  almost  as  soon  see  you  an  exemplary  hypo 
crite.  Give'  up-  the  world  and  stick  to  your 
daughter." 

"  That's  easier  said  than  done." 

"Don't  you  love  your  daughter  better  than 
the  world?" 

"Possibly.  But  I  want  a  new  affection.  I 
can't  have  it,  I  know;  but  the  world  affords 
variety  at  least.  A  daughter  married  is  a 
daughter  lost." 

"And  yet  parents  are  always  glad  to  lose  them 
until  they  are  lost.  I  thought  you  were  above 
such  common  canting,  but  you  turn  out  no  bet 
ter  than  the  rest  of  them.  And  Providence  id 


LORETTO;  on,  THE  CHOICE.  303 

going  to  humor  you  like  a  spoiled  child,  and 
give  you  your  neio  affection.  Let  us  see  what  it 
will  do  for  you."  Aud  frowning  half  playfully, 
half  scornfully,  over  his  shoulder  as  he  went, 
Gabriel  passed  through  the  gate  and  swept  down 
the  hillside. 

"  Such  a  famous  rating  I  never  yet  received," 
said  Almy  to  himself,  "  and  the  worst  of  it  is 
that  the  fellow's  right.  Hang  him,  he's  always 
right,,  I  was  half  inclined  to  choke  him,  though, 
when  he  had  the  impudence  to  talk  of  Providence 
humoring  me  like  a  child;  I  wonder  what  he 
means  ?  I  think  I  can  guess.  Ah !  these 
dead !  I  don't  like  our  last  home,  or  the  way  we 
get  there.  If  it  Avere  only  all  safe  beyond  it ! 
But  it's  not  all  safe  by  a  good  deal,  and  there's 
the  everlasting  rub." 

And  Mr.  Almy  mused  among  the  decorated 
tombs  until  the  quiet  graveyard  was  white  with 
snow,  and  the  late  dinner-call  of  the  horn  at 
Mount  Gabriel  summoned  him  back  to  his  place 
among  the  living. 

That  very  night  a  new  soul  was  added  to  the 
number  of  the  living  whom  he  knew,  and  Mr. 
Almy  found  his  new  affection.  To  be  a  parent 
is  the  consummation  of  maturity ;  to  be  a  grand 
parent  is  the  mysterious  rejuvenescence  of  age. 
Just  when  the  world  is  well  found  out,  and  the 


804  LORETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

heart  has  run  the  round  of  most  human  emotions; 
when  friends  have  passed  or  dropped  away; 
when  children  are  absorbed  in  other  loves  and 
other  cares,  arid  we  find  ourselves  journeying 
alone  into  the  decline  of  life,  comes  this  voice 
from  the  cradle,  sounding  the  resurrection  of 
our  youth  and  assuring  us  of  a  new  partnership 
with  the  future. 

Mr.  Almy  was  not  a  sentimental  man,  not 
addicted  to  idols  of  any  sort.  He  had  been 
devoted  to  Lei,  but  it  was  in  a  rational,  deliber 
ate  way.  He  had  never  been  the  passive  slave 
of  any  affection.  He  had  laughed  his  full  share 
at  the  grand-parental  mania.  He  remembered 
how  he  had  himself  been  adored  in  his  day,  to 
his  own  serious  detriment.  He  was  amazed  at 
finding  himself  so  deeply  and  incomprehensibly 
interested  in  this  second  advent.  She  was  a 
beautiful  child,  to  be  sure,  this  girl  of  Lei's,  but 
not  entirely  without  some  resemblances  to  other 
children.  Very  much  like  her  mother  at  her 
age,  but  then  there  was  a  halo  round  lier  head 
which  Lei  had  never  worn.  The  mist  of  age, 
like  the  morn  of  youth,  makes  its  own  aureole — 
but  he  never  thought  of  this.  He  considered 
himself  as  young  as  ever,  and  so  he  was  for  all 
practical  purposes;  but  the  heart  is  generally  in 
its  dotage  long  before  the  head.  His  mind  was 


LORETTO  ;    OK,    THE    CHOICE.  305 

unimpaired,  but  his  soul  was  already  in  its  second 
childhood.  It  was  wandering  back  in  spirit 
from  the  confines  of  the  coffin  to  the  regions 
of  the  cradle. 

The  worst  feature  in  his  case  was  a  growing 
jealousy  of  the  parents.  The  girl  properly  be 
longed  more  to  him  than  to  them ;  he  had  the 
first  right  to  her.  They  didn't,  they  couldn't 
love  her  as  he  did  ;  they  did'nt  see  the  halo  round 
her  head  as  he  did ;  they  couldn't  bring  her  up 
as  he  could;  they  certainly  hadn't  as  much 
money  to  give  her  as  he  had.  Why  on  earth 
wouldn't  they  make  him  her  guardian  on  the  spot, 
and  renounce  all  interference  henceforth  and  for 
ever?  Why  wouldn't  they  both  go  away  and 
leave  her  to  him,  —  it  was  the  least  they  could 
do.  One  thing  he  was  bent  on,  however.  They 
might  be  as  selfish  and  despotic  as  they  liked, 
and  as  parents  are  apt  to  be  with  another  man's 
grandchild,  but  he  would  have  the  naming  of 
her. 

Melville  had  already  fixed  upon  the  name. 
She  was  to  bo  called  after  her  mother,  of  course; 
anything  else  would  be  monstrous.  It  was  a 
name  that  nobody  could  or  should  object  to.  As 
for  opposition  from  Mr.  Almy,  it  never  once  oc 
curred  to  him. 

Mr.  Almy  knew  this,  and  the  evening  before 


306  LOEETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

the  christening,  when  he  and  Melville  were  alone 
together,  began  his  attack. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  call  her  ?  " 

"  Lei,  of  course." 

"Isn't  one  Lei  enough?  I  don't  like  dupli 
cates." 

"  It's  a  pity  to  let  a  family  name  die." 

"  You  may  have  other  opportunities  of  perpet 
uating  it." 

"  What  name  would  you  like,  sir  ?  " 

"  Oh,  it's  not  for  me  to  decide.  It's  no  affair 
of  mine.  I  never  meddle  where  I'm  not  wanted." 

Melville  smiled.  Had  the  sharp  merchant 
changed  so  ?  Was  he  such  a  baby  already  ? 

"  Mrs.  Melville  wishes  to  see  you,  sir,"  called 
a  servant.  Lei  had  partly  overheard  the  conver 
sation  and  guessed  the  drift  of  it.  She  was 
laughing  when  her  husband  joined  her. 

"  Let  him  have  his  own  way,  Melville." 

"  But  really,  Lei,  I  think  that  I  might  at  least 
have  the  privilege  of  " 

"  Being  a  sensible  father  instead  of  a  goose  of 
a  grandfather.  Grandfathers  are  always  geese, 
Melville." 

"  But  who  knows  what  he  may  call  her.  Soph- 
onista,  may  be." 

"  Oh  no,  not  Sophonista  " 

"Cunegunda,  then?" 


LOKETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE.  307 

"  Nor  Cunegunda,  either." 

"  What  then  ?  " 

"Just  what  I  would  call  her  if  I  had  my 
way." 

"  Don't  you  want  her  called  Lei  ?  " 

"No." 

"The  —  deuce  you  don't.  Well,  madam,  if 
not  too  inquisitive,  may  I  venture  to  ask  what 
you  and  your  father  would  like  to  call  her  ?  " 

*'  By  a  name  that  you  have  often  admired." 

"  I  admire  none  as  much  as  yours." 

"  But  I  do ;  one  name  at  least." 

"What?" 

"  Don't  you  know  the  softest  spot  in  my 
father's  heart?" 

"  There  it  lies,"  pointing  to  the  sleeping  child. 

"  One  softer  than  that  ?  " 

«  No,  I  don't;" 

"  Sister  Agnes.  Mind  you,  Melville,  he's 
never  said  a  word  to  me,  but  I'll  bet  you  a  hun 
dred  dollars  he  wants  her  called  Agnes." 

"  And  you  want  her  called  Agnes,  too  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"Agreed,  though  I  don't." 

Mr.  Almy  took  no  notice  of  Melville's  return. 
He  spoke  of  the  graveyard,  of  the  wheat-fields, 
of  the  Colonel,  of  Gabriel,  of  everything  else 
than  the  baby. 


308  LORETTO  ;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  Melville,  "  I  surrender.  My 
wife  wishes  you  to  have  your  own  way." 

"  She  is  very  kind,  very,"  was  the  dry  answer. 
"  It  is  alwavs  charming  in  a  daughter  to  let  a 

»  o  o 

father  have  his  own  way." 

Melville  laughed  again.  He  was  a  father,  too, 
and  yet  the  pair  of  them  wouldn't  let  him  even 
name  his  own  child. 

"I  wish  to  do  nothing  contrary  to  your 
wishes,"  continued  Mr.  Almy,  with  increasing 
dignity. 

"I  daresay  you  will  name  your  granddaughter 
quite  as  prettily  as  you  named  your  daughter. 
Lei  is  not  the  only  pretty  name  in  the  world. 
Who  will  stand  for  her?" 

"  Why  not  Mrs.  Cleveland  and  the  Colonel  ?  " 

"  An  excellent  idea." 

"And  why  not,  in  compliment  to  them,  —  the 
Colonel  would  enjoy  it  so, — why  not  call  her 
Agnes  ?  I'm  sure  we  all  loved  her." 

"  You  have  chosen  the  very  name,  sir." 

"  Shall  it  be  Agnes,  then  ?  " 

"With  all  our  hearts,  sir." 

"  Thank  you,  Melville."  Mr.  Almy  wrung  his 
hand  and  turned  away  to  mount  the  stairs  and 
have  a  look  at  his  idol.  He  was  satisfied.  He 
had  paid  tribute  to  a  holy  thought  that  had 
crossed  his  heart  like  a  bird  of  passage,  crossed 


LORETTO;   OK,   THE    CHOICE.  309 

it  without  resting  there.  It  had  passed  like  a 
dream,  but  the  idol  of  his  later  days  should  per 
petuate  a  memory  that  stood  starlike  in  the  past, 
faint,  pure,  and  sacred. 

And  so  they  called  her  Agnes,  although  her 
eyes  and  hair  were  like  her  mother's,  and  she 
promised  to  be  Lei  all  over  again.  Mr.  Almy 
could  not  persuade  himself  to  leave  her.  His 
new  affection  enslaved  him.  Every  post  brought 
letters  urging  his  return,  which  he  would  throw 
in  the  fire,  always  without  answering,  often 
without  reading. 

"I  must  go,  Lei,"  he  said  at  length,  "and 
shan't  be  back  till  Christmas." 

"We  shall  miss  you  dreadfully.  What  will 
Aggie  do  without  you?"  said  this  artful  woman. 

"  What  shall  I  do  without  her,  you  mean  ? 
The  little  humbug  doesn't  even  know  who  I  am. 
Lei,  I  am  making  a  great  ass  of  myself  over  this 
blooming  little  brat,  but  I'll  be  hanged  if  I  can 
help  it." 

"And  so  you'll  not  be  back  till  Christmas?" 

"  Not  till  Christmas." 

But  Mr.  Almy  was  back  in  a  fortnight,  saying, 
by  way  of  excuse, — 

"Those  old  fellows  bore  me  so  with  their  bluff 
that  I've  had  to  run  from  them.  Can't  we  have 
a  whist  party  here  ?  I'm  sure  the  Colonel  will 


310  LOEETTO  J   OE,    THE   CHOICE. 

join.     They  are  lonely  enough  at  Loretto,  and 
we're  not  s?o  very  far  apart." 

The  Colonel  was  only  too  glad  of  the  chance, 
and  so  even  was  Mrs.  Cleveland,  for  the  shadow 
had  been  swept  from  her  life,  and  with  its 
departure  the  capacity  for  joy  revived.  Mr./ 
Almy  began  to  find  himself  contented  in  the 
country,  and  considerably  weaned  from  town. 
He  even  hinted  at  retiring  from  business.  But 
he  was  determined  not  to  .be  precipitate.  He 
tested  himself  first  with  the  Colonel.  They  were 
both  good  shots,  and  there  was  no  end  of  par 
tridge  and  pheasant,  or  quail  and  partridge.  He 
had  been  fond  of  shooting  once,  and  soon  found 
out  that  he  was  fond  of  it  again.  They  were 
both  wretched  anglers,  and  that  was  another 
bond  between  them,  as  they  both  fancied  them 
selves  proficients.  Charley  often  had  a  sly  laugh 
at  the  pair  as  they  sat  beneath  the  hemlocks. 

By  the  time  Christmas  came  the  Colonel  and 
Mrs.  Cleveland  were  so  thoroughly  domesticated 
at  Mount  Gabriel  that  they  determined  to  have 
their  Christmas  celebration  there  instead  of  at 
home.  The  presents  were  arranged  for  distribu 
tion  to  all  comers,  and  the  porches  festooned 
with  spruce  and  pine  and  cedar  in  the  most 
artistic  way.  Almy  was  expected  the  day  be 
fore,  and  kept  his  word,  bringing  with  him  two 


LOKETTO;   OR,    THE    CHOICE.  311 

trunks  full  of  toys  for  the  unsuspecting  and 
unthankful  young  Agnes.  The  snow  was  a  foot 
deep,  and  there  was  but  an  hour  of  daylight 
when  he  arrived,  yet  he  and  the  Colonel  sallied 
out  together,  afoot,  on  what  was  evidently  a 
mysterious  and  important  errand.  In  one  of 
their  recent  hunts  they  had  noticed  a  superb 
young  hemlock  spruce,  and  devoted  it  in  their 
heart  of  hearts  to  a  Christmas  Bush.  They 
felled  the  beautiful  creature  between  them,  and 
away  they  went,  staggering  through  the  snow 
and  the  bitter  wind,  dragging  their  prize  after 
them,  as  happy  as  two  boys.  Such  a  Christmas 
bush  was  never  seen  in  all  that  country.  And 
when  it  was  all  decked  and  lighted,  and  the  room 
was  thronged  with  girls  and  boys  from  leagues 
around,  on  Christmas  night,  and  the  cake  and 
egg-nog  were  passed  around,  little  Agnes  crowed 
and  laughed  as  if  she  really  enjoyed  the  festival. 

"When  another  Christmas  came,  and  Mr.  Almy 
arrived,  with  three  trunks  this  time,  Miss  Aggie 
had  been  trained  to  walk  to  meet  him,  and  say, 
"Gan'pa." 

"  Confound  it,"  said  Almy,  "  can  such  non 
sense  make  a  man  cry?  Did  you  teach  her  to 
say  'Gan'pa,'  Lei,  or  did  she  take  to  it  natu 
rally?" 

"  Oh,  naturally,  of  course,"  said  Lei,  dropping 
her  eyes. 


312  LOBETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  Don't  laugh  at  me,  Lei.  I  know  I'm  ridic 
ulous,  but  with  all  that  it's  a  splendid  sensation- 
May  you  live  to  enjoy  it." 

And  that  evening  he  said  to  her,  "  You  gave 
me  a  surprise  to-day,  so  I  shall  give  you  one.  to 
night.  I  have  turned  over  my  house  to  my  part 
ners,  and  withdrawn  absolutely.  It  is  what  I 
have  been  aiming  at  for  two  years,  and  is  now 
accomplished.  I'll  live  with  you,  if  you'll  let  me, 
and  if  we  get  tired  of  each  other  we'll  go  abroad 
once  in  a  while."  m 

Lei  delayed  her  answer,  the  tears  were  running 
down  her  cheeks  so  fast. 

"  This  is  a  Christmas  gift,"  she  said,  at  length. 
*'  You  have  given  me  yourself,  you  grand  old  silly, 
splendid  father,  and  if  I  ever  let  you  take  back 
the  gift" 

"May  he  never  have  another  new  affection," 
chimed  in  Gabriel.  "  Ah,  Almy,  if  I  could  only 
manage  the  Colonel  as  easily  as  your  grandchild 
manages  you ! " 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 

HE  death  of  the  Wanderer  had  made  a 
deep  but  not  a  lasting  impression   on 
the  Colonel.     He  was  hale  and  hearty  ; 
there  was  many  a  good,  quiet  year  before  him; 


LORETTO;    OK,    THE    CHOICE.  313 

he  had  time  enough  to  make  his  peace  with  God, 
and  die  as  good  a  Catholic  as  any  of  them.  The 
Wanderer  had  profited  by  the  last  moment;  why 
need  he  he  in  a  hurry  ?  He  had  no  crimes  on  his 
conscience.  He  had  never  been  a  scandal  like 
Cleveland,  or  a  worldling  like  Almy. 

But  that  very  winter  the  admonition  came.  A 
sudden  shock  passed  over  him  at  night,  and  he 
rose  a  changed  man  in  the  morning.  He  tried 
to  conceal  it,  but  the  ruin  would  not  be  hidden. 
One  afternoon,  as  he  lay  dozing  before  the  fire, 
Charley  came  rushing  in  with  glistening  eyes. 

"  Oh,  sir,  what  a  flock  of  partridges  I  saw  !  If 
I'd  only  had  the  gun  I  could  have  killed  twenty 
at  a  shot.  They  were  all  huddled  up  in  a  bunch 

in  the  fence  corner  by  the  quarry.  And " 

Charley  stopped  short,  for  a  tear  was  rolling  down 
the  old  man's  cheek. 

"  Come,  Charley,  we'll  have  a  look  at  them, 
anyhow.  I  think  a  walk  will  do  me  good.  "We'll 
give  them  a  i-ound  to-morrow." 

And  so  they  sallied  forth  together,  without  the 
gun,  however ;  it  would  have  puzzled  the  Colonel 
to  carry  it,  although  his  pace  was  so  rapid  that 
the  boy  stared  in  amazement.  The  Colonel  was 
not  thinking  of  the  birds.  His  eyes  were  bent 
on  the  ground  ;  but  occasionally  he  raised  them, 
and  they  rested  awhile  on  the  slender  spire  of  tho 
convent,  towards  which  he  was  hastening. 


314  LORETTO;    OE,    THE    CHOICE. 

"  Now,  sir,"  cried  Charley,  as  t^iey  drew  near 
the  quarry,  "  I'll  show  you  where  they  are." 

"  To-morrow,"  said  the  old  man,  raising  his  stick, 
and  pointing  to  the  spire.  "  This  way,  now." 

They  kept  on  their  way  in  silence.  In  vain 
the  ploughman  bowed  and  the  red-cheeked  dairy 
maid  curtsied  to  the  Colonel  as  they  passed ;  he 
heeded  them  not,  he  saw  them  not,  he  knew  them 
not.  They  were  puppets,  nothing  more ;  things 
apparently  near,  but  really  at  an  infinite  distance. 
Charley,  amazed  at  such  unusual  abstraction  and 
discourtesy,  began  to  suspect  him  of  sudden  in 
sanity,  and  trembled.  They  reached  the  gate; 
they  stood  by  the  church.  It  was  Saturday  after 
noon,  and  sweet  voices  were  singing  the  Litany 
of  Loretto.  The  Colonel  paused  awhile,  as  if  to 
inhale  the  melody  and  the  keen,  fresh  air.  The 
sun  was  just  behind  the  mountain,  and  all  along 
the  west  the  graceful  outlines  of  those  blue  ridges 
were  marked  in  crimson  and  gold. 

"  The  service  is  over,"  muttered  the  Colonel, 
as  the  organ  ceased.  "  I  must  lose  no  time."  He 
crossed  the  sloping  terrace  and  rang  the  bell. 
"  Wait  for  me,  Charley." 

"  My  niece,"  said  the  Colonel  to  the  portress. 
"  I  wish  to  see  her  for  a  few  minutes."  Sister 
Agnes  soon  appeared,  smiling.  A  year  had 
changed  her  much;  she  was  thinner  and  paler 


LORETTO  J    OR,    THE    CROICE.  315 

than  before,  but  every  feature  and  every  action 
expressed  perfect  peace.  Whatever  had  been 
the  struggle,  it  was  over ;  there  was  nothing  left 
but  the  Sister  of  Charity,  the  meek  servant  of 
God.  From  the  moment  she  entered  the  room, 
the  Colonel's  eye  never  left  her ;  and  though  she 
had  not  at  first  remarked  his  agitation  she  soon 
saw  that  lie  was  almost  supernaturally  excited. 

"Agnes,"  said  the  Colonel,  "I  am  breaking 
to  pieces,  crumbling  away,  I  cannot  last  much 
longer.  I  am  going  to  leave  you,  Agnes,  going 
to  leave  you  forever.  I  am  near  the  end  of  a 
long,  unworthy  life ;  and  while  I  can  yet  speak, 
I  have  a  duty  to  perform  which  I  must  now 
discharge.  I  cannot  rest  until  I  have  said  that 
my  opposition  to  your  choice  was  the  miserable 
result  of  selfishness  and  folly;  and  that  I  now 
thank  God,  and  bless  you,  for  the  defeat  of  my 
most  unmanly  schemes  !  " 

The  old  man  rose  from  the  chair,  as  if  light 
ened  of  some  crushing  weight. 

"  But  to  leave  you,  Agnes —  you  whom  I  have 
loved  so  blindly  that  I  was  envious  even  of  Him 
to  whom  your  soul  belonged,  —  to  part  for  all 
eternity  from  —  No!  no! — Agnes,  Agnes!  tell 
me,  have  I  yet  time  to  meet  you  in  Heaven?" 

She  said  not  a  word,  but  grasped  his  hand  and 
led  him  into  the  church.  There  on  the  cold 


316  LORETTO;    OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

marble  aisle  knelt  the  old  man,  trembling  and 
sobbing,  his  head  bowed  to  the  step  of  the  sanc 
tuary,  whilst  kneeling  like  an  angel  beside  him, 
his  Agnes  whispered, — 

"  Think  not  of  me,  but  of  God  !  " 

She  left  him  an  instant,  and  passed  into  the 
sacristy.  A  moment  and  she  reappeared,  followed 
by  a  figure  in  black  —  and  the  priest  waited  in 
the  confessional.  Three  paces  off  stood  the 
tribunal  of  remission  and  the  minister  of  absolu 
tion! 

"Xot  now!"  said  the  Colonel,  shuddering, 
and  refusing  her  mute  petition.  "Xot  now  — 
to-morroic  1 '" 

"To-morrow  may  never  come!"  replied  Ag 
nes  ;  "  falter  not  at  the  foot  of  the  altar ! " 

He  rose  and  wavered  —  the  sisters  were  com 
ing —  "To-morrow,  to-morrow,  I  am  unworthy 
now!"  —  and  as  the  confessor  advanced  towards 
him  lie  shook  off  Agnes,  who  still  clung  to  him, 
and  left  the  church. 

The  Colonel  walked  more  rapidly  than  before, 
and  as  he  passed  the  quiet  graveyard  the  leaf 
less  branches  seemed  to  creak,  "  Like  a  thief  in 
the  night!  Like  a  thief  in  the  night!"  Once 
more  he  turned  towards  the  convent,  and  a 
figure  like  Gabriel's  stood  an  instant  in  the  road, 
beckoning  him  back.  But  he  sighed  to  himself 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  317 

"to-morrow,  to-morrow,"  and  at  last  the  spire  of 
the  convent  sank  behind  the  trees.  Then  the 
road  grew  dark  at  his  feet ;  but  when  he  looked 
up  the  moon  Avas  shining,  unprofaned  by  a  single 
cloud,  and  all  the  stars  were  joyfully  twinkling. 

"Are  you  tired,  sir?"  asked  Charley,  as  they 
opened  the  white  gate  of  Loretto.  But  before 
there  was  time  for  a  reply  Gabriel  overtook 
them. 

"  So  you  have  really  been  folloAving  me,"  said 
the  Colonel.  "  I  thought  I  caught  a  glimpse  of 
you." 

Mrs.  Cleveland,  who  had  been  anxiously  watch 
ing  in  the  porch,  came  to  meet  them. 

"Sister,"  said  the  Colonel,  "I  thought  myself 
a  good,  blameless  man,  but  on  reviewing  my  life 
I  find  myself  a  traitor  to  my  faith  and  a  slave 
to  sin.  To-morrow  shall  find  me  once  more  in 
the  bosom  of  the  Catholic  Church.  One  night  of 
preparation  is  all  I  ask.  I  have  been  Avith 
Agnes ! " 

The  delirious  strength  that  had  hitherto  sus 
tained  him  began  to  give  Avay,  and  he  leaned 
heavily  on  his  sister's  arm.  The  secret  was 
soon  unfolded  to  Lei,  Melville,  and  Mr.  Ahny ; 
and,  revived  by  the  happy  group  around  him, 
the  Colonel  looked  and  felt  better  than  he  had 
done  for  many  a  day.  Mrs.  Cleveland  was  over- 


318  LORETTO;   OR,    THE   CHOICE. 

whelmed  with  joy  at  this  sudden  and  unexpected 
change,  and  the  last  open  wound  of  her  heart 
was  healing.  Gabriel  alone  was  sad  and  restless. 
He  sat  in  a  corner  playing  strange  airs  upon  a 
guitar,  with  which  he  loved  to  give  music  lessons 
to  the  boy.  They  could  distinguish  at  times, 
words  like  these,  — 

A  woodman  said  to  a  snow-white  flower, 
"  Lily,  I'll  pluck  thee  in  an  hour! " 
So  merrily,  merrily  hied  he  on, 
And  came  in  an  hour — the  lily  was  gone! 

And  Gabriel  sang  other  songs,  mournful  and 
slow;  but  the  words  \vere  of  some  strange  lan 
guage,  which  none  of  them  understood. 

After  an  hour,  which  passed  in  congratulation 
and  prayer,  the  Colonel  excused  himself  and 
retired  to  his  room.  Gabriel,  unseen,  glided  in 
after  him.  Through  the  open  window  he  could 
see  the  cross  on  the  convent  spire  gleaming  in 
the  moonlight ;  he  remembered  the  morning  that 
Lei  stood  at  that  same  window,  wfyen  he  tempted 
her  to  win  Agnes  to  the  world,  to  the  world 
which  he  had  exhausted,  which  left  him  nothing 
but  tears  and  shame,  which  might  separate  him 
from  Agnes  eternally  ?  Separation  from  Agnes 
was  the  point  of  his  contrition.  He  was  tempted 


LORETTO;    OR,    THE    CHOICE.  319 

to  return  and  complete  at  once  the  work  he  had 
begun ;  but  it  seemed  so  childlike  and  cowardly 
to  be  hurrying  after  a  confessor,  as  if  afraid  of 
darkness.  So,  with  a  resolute  effort  he  closed 
the  shutters,  saying,  "  To-morrow!" 

The  next  morning  he  came  not  down  to 
breakfast.  They  heard  a  shriek  from  Gabriel, 
and  rushed  up-stairs.  The  Colonel  was  lying 
dead  on  the  floor. 

Oh,  what  a  change  had  come  over  Gabrk-1 ! 
His  smile  was  gone  —  a  sad,  unearthly  light 
shone  in  his  blue  eye  —  he  was  worn  away  to  a 
skeleton.  He  rarely  spoke,  but,  when  they 
questioned  him,  mournfully  pointed  to  his 
heart  —  and  they  knew  that  the  disease  of  which 
he  had  often  complained,  if  one  so  gentle  could 
be  said  to  complain,  was  carrying  him  off. 
Once  they  heard  him  singing  a  strange  song, 
which  Lei  remembered  :  — 


I  hear  a  sweet  voice,  like  the  voice  of  a  bird, 
The  softest  and  sweetest  that  ever  was  heard, 
And  it  comes  from  the  sky,  from  the  blue,  blessed  sky, 
And  it  warbles  —  "  Prepare,  for  the  hour  is  nigh ! " 
And  that  voice  is  meant  for  me  — 
Far  away,  far  away, 
Ere  another  day, 

Shall  I  be! 


320  LORETTO;    OE,    THE    CHOICE. 

I  see  two  sweet  wings  that  are  not  of  the  earth, 
That  shall  bear  me  aloft  to  the  land  of  my  birth, 
Yes,  two  glittering  wings  of  the  purest  white, 
With  each  feather  enshrined  in  a  circle  of  light! 
And  those  wings  are  meant  for  me  — 
Far  away,  far  away, 
Ere  another  day, 

Shall  I  be! 

The  blossoming  stars  were  my  playmates  of  yore, 
I  shall  walk  the  bright  fields  where  I've  sported  before; 
And  I  know  a  sweet  spot  where  the  angels  are, 
That  is  high  above  thve  highest  star! 

And  that  spot  is  meant  for  me  — 
Far  away,  far  away, 
Ere  another  day, 

Shall  I  be! 

And,  after  singing  this,  he  seemed  stronger, 
and  more  cheerful ;  his  old  smile  returned,  and 
he  went  forth  alone. 

The  sun  was  down  behind  the  gap  in  the 
mountain,  the  moon  was  shining  on  the  porches 
of  Loretto  and  Mount  Gabriel,  yet  the  pale 
youth  returned  not. 

In  the  morning  they  searched  the  fields  and 
hills  for  him  in  vain ;  until,  at  last,  guided  by 
little  Charley,  they  found  him  dead  on  the  Col 
onel's  grave  I 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


50m-7,'69(N296s4) — C-120 


L  006  374  314  0 


